Keeping Her Close
by DragonFable
Summary: Theodore set out to find a way to release Minako from her fate as the Great Seal with the help of his sister, Elizabeth. Now, four years later, they find a boy named Minato Arisato, who is essentially the same person as Minako.
1. Cold Beginnings

**Chapter 1 = Cold Beginnings**

_"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope."_

_

* * *

_"It's exceedingly cold here..." muttered a silver-headed figure. He stood before a storefront, shoulders hunched with his arms folded closely together as he peered inside through the window. He let out a sigh of frustration and felt it time to call it a night before noticing the glass fog over. "Hmm..." he mused aloud.

"Really, Theo, you've taken to complaining often," his companion sighed. "Why don't you just invest in a jacket?"

"A jacket?" Theodore inquired absently, focusing most of his concentration on the fogged glass in front of him. He extended his finger and touched it to the glass. He drew in a circle and inside the circle two lines and a curve. "Ah," he smiled, reflecting the face he had just drawn. "Perhaps I should have made a request for a jacket?"

"I'm afraid it's a little late for that now."

"I suppose..." he shrugged, frowning then as he took a closer look through the two lines. "Elizabeth ," he murmured.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Look..." he started, rubbing out the fog on the glass. "When you look at him, do you get the same feeling?"

"Hm?" She leaned in closer her brother and peered through the window. "That boy..." she frowned.

"Then you do! They look so much alike..."

"Yes, I agree..."

"Could this be the answer we've been looking for?"

"Theo, it's not our place to interfere like this..."

"If that's all you have to say, then why did you agree to help?" Theodore snapped.

"We don't even know even know if he has the potential or not. I can't just assume because of a feeling..."

"Elizabeth, we've been outside the Velvet Room for four years now. I can't let it all just go to waste."

"We can wait here until the Dark Hour. If he transmogrifies, then we leave him alone, alright?"

"Very well..." he muttered in defeat. He gazed in through the window again, pressing his hand to it. "Master Minako..." he whispered wearily. He pulled his hand back and sullenly walked off down the street.

Elizabeth watched him off silently before glancing at the boy again. He had been sitting in a chair with his feet kicked up onto the table next to him, seemingly blissfully aware of his surroundings. Headphones were plugged into his ears, locking him out of the outside world, and his blue hair fell into his face. "He really does look so much like her..."

When Elizabeth finally caught up to Theodore, he was sitting on a snow-covered log; the only one in sight for miles and miles around. He was hunched over, hugging his arms close together to retain any warmth he could while he brooded.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "When did you get to be such a child?" she sighed, opening the book she always kept at hand. It opened to the exact page she needed. She waved her hand over the page and a blue card floated up into the air. With a flick of the wrist, the card began to spin, allowing then for the Persona, Surt, to materialize in front of her. Instantly, the Persona struck his flaming sword down on the log.

"What are you doing?" Theodore shrieked, falling out of the way and into the snow.

"Making a fire, of course," Elizabeth shrugged, kicking one half of the log away from the other before Surt blasted it with Agidyne. With a satisfied grin , Elizabeth closed the book and Surt vanished. She sat down on the non-flaming log and patted the seat next to her. "Come join me, Theo."

"Are you daft?" he complained, joining her on the log nonetheless. "And how are you not as cold as I am? You have no sleeves..."

"I'm not cold at all, Theo. I haven't the slightest idea as to how you could possibly be. How long until the Dark Hour now?"

"Not long. You took your time coming here."

"Hmph. Even after four years, I still can't grasp the essence of time decay..."

"Is that a complaint I hear?"

"Not at all," she mumbled, punching his shoulder.

"Ow...!" he complained.

"If it is not far off, perhaps we should return to check on the boy."

"But you just got here..."

"Or we could just return to the Velvet Room and cease shirking our duties, if you prefer."

"Of course..." he sighed, reluctantly standing up from the log. He started walking off in a direction he thought led out of the vast white void, hugging his arms close as he shivered.

"Theodore..." Elizabeth smirked slightly as she watched him. "Where might you be going?"

"To save Master Minako, of course."

"You're headed in the wrong direction," she snickered.

"... No I'm not. I'm sure this is the right way," he frowned, pausing momentarily.

"Are you now?"

"Yes. Go any other way you like, and you'll just end up lost."

"Theo, come on, it's this way."

"Nuh-uh."

"Theo..." Elizabeth sighed as he continued on proudly. She shook her head and opened her book again, seemingly to the same page as before. Another card levitated out from the page and after a quick spin another persona materialized, this time Megatron. The persona lowered himself to his knees and extended an arm, to which Elizabeth responded by hopping on. He wrapped his arms around her legs and stood up again. He spread his wings and took flight, darting towards Theodore and snatching his arm before taking off again in the other direction.

"H-hey...!"

They arrived back at the lone building soon after, and the persona dropped both Theodore and Elizabeth before vanishing. Theodore landed face-first into the snow, while Elizabeth landed on her feet. "Come now, Theo," she grinned, walking over to the door. She wrapped her hand around the doorknob and gave it a twist, breaking the locking mechanism inside, and thus pushed the door open.

Theodore hopped up to his feet and brushed the snow off the snow from his suit before following after Elizabeth. "It's a tad dark in here, don't you think?" he frowned.

"Not really," Elizabeth shrugged, gliding through the room easily while Theodore stumbled behind her. "There," she said in a hushed whisper, clasping her hand around Theodore's arm to stop him. "He's awake..."

"Hn? He seems so calm..."

"How intriguing," she grinned.

"Perhaps now would be the right time to call for the master?"

"Not yet," she shook her head, pushing him back gently before taking a step closer to the room they had found the boy in. The room was lit by a candle sitting on a desk, while the boy sat erect in bed, staring at the floor aimlessly. A floor board creaked under Elizabeth as she continued to move closer towards the room. The boy looked up instantly, and waited for her to enter the room.

"Are you not afraid?" Elizabeth asked after pushing the door open. "Do you know what it is you're experiencing right now?" she continued when the boy said nothing. When the boy remained silent still, Elizabeth gave him a small smile. "How long have you been aware of your power?"

It was then that the boy pulled out an Evoker and held it to his temple before pulling the trigger. The persona that materialized before him instantly swung his arm out in front of him, hitting Elizabeth in the process, and sent her back through the wall.

"Elizabeth...?" Theodore frowned, quickly seeking aid from his own book. But just as he had opened it to the desired page, the boy had appeared in the doorway with his persona looming over head. Theodore paused to glance up at the persona, his eyes widening when he recognized it. "Orpheus Telos?"

Telos reached for the harp on his back and struck the strings. An immensely strong wind jutted from the ground, knocking Theodore back before he could summon a persona of his own.

"Thor!" Elizabeth shouted, summoning her persona. With Thor's coming was a bolt of lighting directed towards the boy. Before he could react, he was struck by the attack, and fell instantly unconscious. "He has no endurance..." she observed, stepping over the wreckage as Thor disappeared. She stepped over to Theodore and took his hand, helping him up to his feet. "I'll take him back to the Velvet Room," she said, lifting the boy in her arms.

"And then what?" Theodore mumbled.

"We'll see. Do what you like until then," she shrugged.

###

Akihiko knelt down in front of the tombstone and extended his hand, grazing his fingers against the name etched in. With a sigh, he drew his hand back and slid it into his pocket, fishing out a small silver bracelet.

"It's Christmas tomorrow, you know..." he murmured, closing his hand around the bracelet. He reached out and gently picked up the rabbit doll situated on top of the music box sitting on the ground in front of the tombstone. He pushed the doll into his palm and wrapped his thumb around it as he opened the music box with his free fingers. He set the bracelet inside and gently closed the box again.

"It's been so quiet with Tartarus and the Dark Hour gone. Almost boring, even," he said with a weary grin, placing the doll back on top of the box. He paused then, taking notice of some items surrounding the box. "It looks like others have been visiting you, too," he observed. There were two keys placed inside a pig key holder, a cell phone strap, a pair of headphones, a cheap looking cigarette lighter, two worn notebooks, a fruit, a dog collar, a leather watch, a money pouch, a tape, a charred screw, and two rings. "What the hell is someone doing leaving a lighter here...?" he frowned. He sighed inwardly and shook his head.

"I just wanted to let you know I'm proud of you. I know I say that every time I come here, but... I mean it. And I hope you can be proud of me, too... It hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time," he sighed. "I want you back, but at the same time, I understand that you're doing this for all of us. But I am trying, I hope you've noticed... I miss you, Minako," he murmured, standing up again.

"I'll be back soon," he said, pulling his khaki jacket closer around him as he turned around and head back down the hill. He pushed against the entrance gate to the cemetery and slipped through, starting down the sidewalk.

"Akihiko-senpai?" came the inquiring voice of a female standing in front of him a few minutes later.

"Huh?" he frowned, glancing up to see the girl in front of him. She wore a puffy winter jacket with black leggings and a pair of boots that ended at her knees. Her brown hair was pinned up to the back of her head, the tips flairing out at the top.

"Oh my goodness, it really is you!" she grinned.

"I'm sorry, do I know you...?"

"We went to Gekkoukan High, remember? I was still just a second year when you were a senior."

"Oh, uhm..."

"What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"Uh... Nothing."

"And hey, aren't you cold? That scarf hardly looks like it's doing you any favors," she snickered. "It's cute, though."

"It's plenty, thank you," he muttered, walking passed her then.

"Hm? Senpai?" she frowned, turning to watch him sulk off.

Akihiko arrived back at his apartment just as the sun was setting. He unraveled the scarf from around his neck and shrugged off his jacket, hanging both up on the coat rack before locking the door behind him. He rubbed the back of his neck wearily and crossed the threshold of the apartment to the office where his desk sat.

He pulled out the chair and uncharacteristically plopped down. He hesitated a moment before wheeling the chair back over to the desk with his feet and opened one of the books sitting on the desktop and stared blankly down at the page. It was his attempt to study for one of the last finals in his college career, but for some reason, he couldn't make himself concentrate at the task at hand.

He leaned back in his seat again and sighed in frustration before glancing down at the bottom desk drawer. That was where he kept his old Evoker locked away. He would pull it out occasionally for the nostalgia it brought, but he essentially spent most of his time looking forward instead of behind him. But now was a time for necessary nostalgia. He reached down to the drawer's handle and gave it a tug, frowning when it didn't budge. "Damned piece of..." he grumbled, opening the top drawer in the middle of the desk before he could open the initial drawer. He wrapped his hand around the Evoker and pulled it out.

He stared stoically at it as it glistened under the light, turning it in his hand. "We did good..." he murmured, smirking then. When he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, he lowered the Evoker and glanced up. "What...?" he frowned. He set down the Evoker and stood up from the chair, and then stepped over to the shelf on the wall. There sat the music box he had left at Minako's grave so many years ago.

He pulled the box down from the shelf and carefully opened it, deepening his frown when he found all the items her friends left behind inside. "What the hell...?"

He closed the box again and tucked it under his arm, quickly leaving the room. He stopped at the front door and pulled his jacket and scarf from the coat rack, and then continued out through the door, making sure to lock it behind him. He shrugged on his jacket and threw the scarf around his neck sloppily as he hurried down the hall.

"Ah, Sanada-san...!" the doorman started once Akihiko reached the lobby and headed briskly towards the door. "Sanada-san, wait!"

With reluctance, Akihiko came to a halt right in front of the door and glanced over his shoulder. "What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"T-there's a blizzard outside. It's not safe to go out."

"What? A blizzard?" he frowned, glancing back at the door. Sure enough, the blizzard could clearly be seen through the window in the door. "How could I have...?" With a sigh, he shook his head and nodded his thanks to the doorman before starting back upstairs to his apartment. However the music box ended up in his apartment, at least it wouldn't be blown away.

He tugged at the scarf wearily as he reached for the door. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth when he wrapped his hand around the doorknob and found it unlocked. His hand left the scarf and he quickly opened the door. The room in front of him was completely empty.

Still uneasy, he cautiously stepped inside and closed the door behind him, keeping aware of his surroundings as he did so. He then slipped through the apartment to the other rooms, finding his home to be exactly as he left it.

"Odd..." he frowned, shaking his head before carrying the music box back into the office. He set it down on the closed books resting on the desk. There was no way he could focus on studying tonight. And with that, he headed off to the bedroom to call it a night.

He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

It wasn't much later that Theodore stepped through the doorway with the music box in hand.

"You were one of her closest friends..." he commented quietly, staring down at him. "You should keep this close to you," he sighed, setting the box reluctantly down on the bed.

* * *

**Baaah, I told myself I wouldn't publish this anywhere. B( LOOK HOW THAT TURNED OUT. Oh well, I'm rather pleased with how this is turning out, and I was anxious to see how this would be perceived by the public. :3;;**

**I really do hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**I own nothing, by the way. o-o**

**... And this is only a working title. - I need to consult with friends about a better title, but they're all asleep now, so my timing is fail. Until then~!;;  
**


	2. Misunderstandings

**Chapter 2 = Misunderstandings**

_"The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom."_

* * *

"Ah!"

"Come now, Elizabeth, I thought you were stronger than this."

"I am..."

Elizabeth's glowering façade was a precautionary measure to hide the true satisfaction she felt as she peeled herself up off the floor. Could this be what Theodore had been talking about when he himself had been beaten by a guest so long ago? After dusting herself off, she faced her opponent again and grinned.

"You're getting to be quite skilled in such a short amount of time, Minato-san."

"Thanks," the boy replied off-handedly. His Evoker had already been holstered again since summoning his persona just seconds ago, and again wielded the short sword Elizabeth had given him.

"You're strength was already remarkable, greater even than your predecessors, but you lacked the- Ah!" she yelped again, cringing when the razor-sharp card she'd thrown at him had easily been deflected by his sword and shot back at her. "Ah..." she breathed painfully.

"Hm... That's enough training for now," Margaret said, standing from the chair where she had been spectating this whole time. "It seems he's learned all he can from you anyway, Elizabeth," she sighed, turning to Minato. "Go now to your room. I'll deal with you later."

Minato nodded with a shrug, and obediently wandered off out of the arena. Margaret watched him off before turning back to Elizabeth. "Is something troubling you?"

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth panted, holding her side where the card had clipped her.

"You're hardly focused on the fight. You aren't actually afraid of hurting him, are you?"

"Of course not..."

"Then he really is stronger than you."

"So it would appear that way..."

"In that case, training him is no longer necessary."

"But...!"

"Elizabeth, you're starting to sound like Theo," Margaret said, allowing a small smile to grace her features. "Do yourself a favor and leave Arisato be."

"Very well..." Elizabeth sighed in defeat. "What will happen to him now that his training is complete?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure yet. The Master says that his psyche is not nearly as deep as the others, but there is something off about it..."

"Something off?"

"Yes, even the Master can't sniff out the problem," she answered, chuckling to herself.

"I see," Elizabeth nodded. "I'll be resting in my room, then."

"Very well. If it's this important to you, I'll let you know first thing if anything is discovered."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth walked into her room with her hand still holding her side. She pulled the hat off of her head and dropped it to the floor, leaning against the door behind her wearily.

"Troubles?"

Elizabeth jerked her attention up to find Theodore seated on the bed. He stared back at her absently.

"What are you doing here?"

"I found her friends again," he sighed, lowering his gaze to the floor for a moment before shrugging slightly and standing up. "A lot of them have lost contact with each other. How is the boy?"

"He's become immensely strong..." she sighed with a grimace.

"Are you alright?" he frowned.

"I'm fine."

"I don't think I've ever seen you in this much pain," he murmured, crossing the room towards her. Without a moment's hesitation, he lifted her up off the ground and carried her over to the bed.

"Theo..." she complained.

"What happened?" he asked, laying her down.

"Elizabeth!" Margaret shouted, bursting through the door. "Theodore...?" she asked then as he glanced over his shoulder back at her.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked, struggling to sit up.

"Hey..." Theodore frowned, turning back to her and gently pushed her back down.

"Arisato has gone missing."

"What?" Theodore and Elizabeth both snapped in unison.

"You spent the most time with Elizabeth. Have you any idea where he might go?"

"I-I haven't any idea..." she frowned.

"This isn't good..." Margaret frowned, hurrying back out of the room.

"How could he just disappear...?" Elizabeth asked quietly. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I have an idea..." Theodore murmured. "Just stay here and rest for now."

A few days later, stood outside of Minako's bedroom at the old dormitory. He frowned as he stared at it for a moment before leaning his forehead against the door wearily. He raised his hand and pressed it to the door gently, and then curled it into a fist. He wrapped his other hand around the doorknob and opened the door, slipping through.

The room remained untouched as far as he could tell. With an inward sigh, he crossed the room towards the bed and laid down. He folded his hands over his chest and stared up at the ceiling absently, recalling the last time he had been in that room.

After asking permission to enter, Minako had led him up to her room without any questions. "_Ah, I see_," he had said, grinning to himself.

"_Hey, what's with that smile_?" she asked with a grin of her own.

"_Huh...? Oh, pardon me. Was I smiling_?" he asked. "_Your presence is strong here. Perhaps one would call it...your scent_?"

"_What kind of scent is it_?" Minako asked, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.

"_That's a difficult question_..." Theodore frowned then. "_It would be meaningless to break it down in its component chemicals. It's neither good nor bad_..." He paused then and glanced up at her again, smiling. "_If I were to dare hazard an opinion... I like it. Ah_..." he frowned again, his cheeks reddening. He turned his gaze downward again.

"_By the way_..." he sighed, pushing his embarrassment to the back of his mind, "_regarding my request this time... Er... Didn't make you uncomfortable_?"

"_With you asking? No_," Minako shrugged.

"_Huh_?" he asked, blushing again as he glanced up. "_I-indeed? If that's so... Then I'm glad to hear it_," he smiled, stepping passed her then and further into the room. He studied everything closely before turning his attention back to Minako. "_This world is filled with exquisite brilliance. The station, the shrine, the school... All had their unique charms... Every moment I've spent with you is an unforgettable memory... Thank you so much. This will be the last of my requests to visit this world. Which means this will be the last chance I have to spend time alone with you_..." His voice trailed off, frowning again as he looked down at his feet.

"_You have carried out my request to the fullest. Thank you for everything_."

He grinned slightly to himself, remembering how her reply had startled him back then.

"_I don't want this to end_," she had protested.

Theodore glanced back up at her, and then smiled again. "_You are such a minx... Do you understand what it is you just said_?" he asked her. He reached out to take her hand. "_This feeling... It's so sinful_," he frowned. "_You are a guest, and yet my attachment to you is... I cannot hope to calm it anymore myself... That's why_..." he paused, racking his brain for the right words. "_I wish you would understand a little of what I'm feeling. If only you could sense even a little of this raging storm in my heart_..."

"_I feel the same way, Theo_."

"_Master Minako... You wish to compound my sins? The punishment thrust upon me will be made worse as well, you realize... Such cruelty_," he murmured, staring down at her as he removed his gloves. "_Alright then, come here_," he said, taking her hand again. "'_Til now, I have been your faithful student, but there are things I can teach you as well... You're supposed to close your eyes at times like these_."

He sighed inwardly, turning his gaze from the ceiling to the nightstand beside him. "... Hm? What's this?" he murmured, sitting up in the bed. He reached out and took the worn notebook in his hand, bringing it closer for inspection. When he opened it, he found a familiar blue bookmark.

He gently lifted it from the pages and brought it to his nose and inhaled. "Ah..." he frowned. "So she kept it..."

He set the bookmark aside and scanned over the contents of the notebook. "A pink alligator...?" he wondered aloud, jumping slightly then when he heard the main door open on the first floor.

Downstairs, it was Junpei and Yukari who were the first to arrive. "I thought they were tearing this place down?" Junpei asked, glancing around the lounge.

"Yeah, me, too," Yukari shrugged. "So you got the invitation, too, then?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, said to come meet up here," he nodded.

"How weird... I wonder if the others got it, too..."

As if on queue, the doors opened again and in stepped Fuuka. "Huh...? Oh, hi guys. Did you get the same invite?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Junpei grinned sheepishly.

"Ugh, there's dust everywhere..." Yukari complained, looking around in disgust.

"That's what happens when you don't clean regularly," came a voice from the dining room.

"Hey, Senpai!" Junpei grinned, running off to greet him. There at the bar sitting on a stool was Shinjiro with Aigis standing next to him. "And Aigis, too! When did you get here?"

"Aigis let me in," Shinjiro shrugged.

"Does that mean you sent out the invites, Aigis?" Yukari asked, stepping into the dining room with Fuuka at her side.

"I didn't, no..." Aigis answered. "I was the first to arrive, but the front door was already unlocked."

"Then did somebody-" Fuuka started.

"There ain't anyone here, we already checked."

"Hey, is anybody here...?" another voice called out back at the lounge.

"Ken-kun!" Fuuka grinned, hurrying out to greet him with Yukari closely behind.

"Looks like everyone's here except Akihiko- and Mitsuru-senpai," Junpei said, taking a seat in a stool next to Shinjiro.

"Yep," Shinjiro said.

"So, uh... What'chu been up to, Aigis-san?"

"I've been aiding Fuuka-san in her line of work."

"What's her line of work?"

"She is the lead information broker for the Kirijo group."

"O-oh, I see..."

"What have you been up to, Junpei-san?"

"N-nothing important..." he mumbled, casting his gaze downward.

Shinjiro stood up then and walked out of the dining room and through the lounge to the door, opening it just as Mitsuru and Akihiko ascended the few steps leading to the door. "About time you two showed up," he mumbled.

"Hello, Shinjiro," Mitsuru greeted with a nod as she stepped through the door.

"Hey, Shinji," Akihiko grinned wearily as he followed inside after Mitsuru.

"Is everyone here?" Mitsuru asked. Shinjiro closed the door after them as Junpei and Aigis stepped out of the dining room to join everyone back in the lounge.

"What's going on, Senpai?" Yukari asked once everyone was gathered.

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest..." Mitsuru sighed.

As they all began to bicker over what could possibly be going on, Akihiko separated himself from the group and stepped over towards the window to check through the curtains. Something felt off in a way that he couldn't explain. It was the same feeling he had the other night at the apartment.

When he found nothing suspicious outside, he pulled the music box out from his jacket and glanced down at it sullenly. That night had been the only chance to return the box to the grave, and while he was on his way to do so, Mitsuru intercepted him and dragged him back to the dorm.

"I'm pleased you all could make it."

Everyone stopped talking and looked over to the stairs where the voice had come from. There was Theodore with a smile on his face as he quickly approached them. "Please, won't you sit?"

"... Who the hell are you?" Junpei asked.

"My name is Theodore. You may call me Theo if you wish."

"What purpose do you have here?" Mitsuru demanded.

"You certainly are straight to the point," he chuckled. "I'm actually here to ask a favor."

"So you were the one who sent out all the invitations?" Fuuka asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "It was more important to me, though, that you three show up, even if the others hadn't," he added, nodding towards Aigis, Akihiko, and Shinjiro.

"Huh? Why them?" Yukari asked.

"Because they are the ones closest to Master Minako."

"Master...Minako?" Aigis asked hesitantly. "You... You're from the Velvet Room, aren't you?"

"Velvet Room?" Junpei asked, glancing at Aigis.

"Yes. I believe you're acquainted with my sister, Elizabeth," Theodore nodded. "In any case, we shouldn't dilly-dally. There is a very pressing matter at hand."

"What is it?" Aigis asked.

"Elizabeth and I found a boy several weeks ago and brought him back to the Velvet Room. He had the power of persona, and my sisters spent the time following training him. However, he has just recently vanished. It is imperative that he be found and brought back immediately."

"What does any of this have to do with us?" Mitsuru asked cautiously.

"Because... The boy's name is Minato Arisato. He and Master Minako are one in the same. The same person, essentially."

"What the hell...?" Junpei frowned.

"Why do you need him back so quickly?" Yukari asked.

"Because I believe he may be the key to bringing back Master Minako," Theodore explained.

The music box slipped out of Akihiko's hand and came crashing to the floor. "Oh... Shit..." he mumbled, quickly kneeling down to pick up everything and stow it back in the box.

###

"I still can't believe it... I never thought there would be a way to bring Minako-san back like this..." Ken murmured.

Two hours had passed since Theodore have given the news, and now he sat in the lounge with Mitsuru, Ken, and Aigis, while Shinjiro stared out the window silently. Junpei had already retired for the night and went back to his old room, while Yukari and Fuuka had gone upstairs to the Command Room. Akihiko sat alone in the dining room, staring at the box sullenly as it sat on the table.

"I'm still in shock myself, Amada," Mitsuru sighed.

"I never met Elizabeth outside of the Velvet Room... How is it you are here with us now, Theo?" Aigis asked, glancing towards Theodore.

"When Master Minako was still with us, I would request that she escort me around this world. I had always been fascinated... As she took me to places like the station and the shrine, I had grown more attached to her. I feel as if I owe it to her, to repay her kindness and the wonderful memories she left me with. I want to find any possible way to release her from her fate as the Seal."

"That's very admirable, Theodore," Mitsuru said.

"Thank you," he nodded.

"So, when she was escorting you around... Were those like dates?" Ken asked.

"Uh, well... I don't know about that..." he stammered, feeling his face heat up instantly. He glanced over the back of the chair then as he heard Akihiko abruptly push his chair back and stand up before sulking off upstairs. Theodore frowned as he watched him off, and then trailed his gaze back down to the music box left behind. "He should keep that close to him..." he murmured.

"Ah... Sanada-san..." Ken frowned, standing up to head after him.

"Just leave him be," Shinjiro muttered without breaking his gaze from the window.

Ken glanced back at him for a moment before sighing inwardly and nodding, reluctantly sitting back down.

Akihiko sulked passed his room and then passed Minako's on his way up to the fourth floor. He pushed open the doors to the Command room and stepped inside. "Have you found anything?"

Yukari and Fuuka had been watching recordings on the giant monitor to his surprise. "Uh, no... Not exactly..." Fuuka said shyly.

"She just can't sense anything," Yukari shrugged. "We even tried looking for Minako, but nothing."

"So you're just going to give up?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, we're apparently not the ones closest to her, so maybe there's only so much we can do."

"Yukari-san..." Fuuka frowned.

Akihiko opened his mouth to retaliate, but cut himself short when he heard Shinjiro's voice coming from the monitor. Both he and Minako shared the screen.

"You can stare at me like that all day. I got nothing for you. Haven't you wasted enough time on me? What more do you want?" Shinjiro was asking.

"I love you," Minako chimed, smiling sweetly back at him.

"What...?" Akihiko frowned.

"Maybe we should turn this off..." Fuuka tried.

"...Huh?" Shinjiro asked as the recording continued on, his face visibly red. "D-don't tease me like that!"

"I'm not teasing!" Minako replied.

"Don't touch it," Akihiko growled as he continued to watch the screen.

"Urgh..." Shinjiro mumbled. "I mean, why just blurt out something like that? Here, of all places...?"

"Won't you come to my room?" Minako asked.

"I-I can't do that. I mean, you're... Well, people are gonna get the wrong idea."

"Then that leaves your room," she shrugged.

"Y-you moron. I... I ain't a nice guy. I can't let you in my room," he muttered, his face red again. "... Don't you get it?"

"I know what I'm saying."

"No way. It's not gonna happen. Look, you need to watch yourself. Don't bother with someone like me," he continued to protest.

"I still love you, Senpai!"

"Idiot..."

The screen cut to blackness.

"The recording ends there..." Fuuka murmured.

"That son of a bitch..." Akihiko growled.

"You mean you didn't know?" Yukari asked.

"Did you?" he snapped.

"Yeah, I thought everyone did..."

"Dammit..." he muttered, storming out of the room.

"Senpai, wait...!" Fuuka called out, running after him.

"Shinji!" he snapped, skipping steps on his way down to the lounge.

Shinjiro glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his name, and turned around to face Akihiko as he came charging over.

"How could you never tell me?" he demanded, hitting his fist against Shinjiro's face.

"Ah, shit..." he grumbled, stumbling back.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru barked, shooting up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Akihiko insisted.

"Tell you what?" Shinjiro muttered, rubbing his jaw painfully.

"About you and Minako..."

""What are you talking about?"

"Dammit, Shinji...!" As he had lifted his fist again, Theodore leapt out of his seat and over the coffee table. He grabbed Akihiko's wrist with one hand and wrapped the other around his neck, forcing him back against the wall.

"She spoke highly of you very often, Sanada. I ask that you please not sully the image she has of you," he murmured.

Akihiko glared back at him before shoving him back. "Get off me," he growled.

Theodore stumbled back, startled by how easily he was over-powered. Fuuka rushed to his side as he fell down and knelt down beside him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine... Thank you. Nothing has happened like that before..." he frowned, holding his head. He glanced up then as the front door opened and in stepped the blue-haired boy he had come to be familiar with.

He glanced around the room as everyone stared back at him. "Uhm... Hello. I'm Minato," he grinned sheepishly.

* * *

**Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! It warms my heart. ;w;**

**I'm sorry for using in-game dialogue, I'm sure that must have been a little boring to read. D:**

**Tr3s3ntos, I would very much love and am looking forward to giving you an opinion on what I'm sure is going to be an excellent fiction. c:**

**Also, I'm still trying to figure this site out, despite being here for however long. B(;; I fail.**


	3. Fragments

**Chapter 3 = Fragments**

_"Celebrate life's grandeur... its brilliance... its magnificence..."_

**

* * *

**

Akihiko laid on the roof several hours later, watching the sky turn to a light blue as the sun peaked out over the horizon. He glanced up towards the door, and smiled slightly when he found a familiar face.

"Hey..." he whispered. "What're you doing up here?"

"Just checking in," she shrugged, smiling sweetly back. She was laying down as well, but in the opposite direction of him. The only thing that laid beside him was her head to his.

"You don't need to check in..." he snickered slightly, bringing his hand up and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry, Minako..."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"Huh?"

"You punched your best friend over a misunderstanding, Aki..."

"Hm..." he frowned, closing his eyes as he touched his forehead to hers. "A misunderstanding, huh?"

"Akihiko?"

Mitsuru's voice startled him, and when he opened his eyes again, Minako had vanished. Furrowing his brow, he closed his hand into a fist before sitting up. "Yeah?"

"We need you downstairs. Theodore wishes to explain things further to us now."

"... Alright," he sighed, pulling himself up to his feet. He pocketed his hands and sullenly walked passed Mitsuru and back inside. Mitsuru watched him off before glancing back towards the ground he had been laying on. She frowned to herself, and then headed downstairs herself.

"So why did you wait until _now_ to tell us this?" Yukari's complaint could clearly be heard as Akihiko and Mitsuru arrived in the lounge. Theodore was seated properly at the armchair facing away from the dining room. Flanking him at the arms on either couch were Ken and Junpei; Junpei had his arms crossed on the armrest with his head down on them, half-asleep. Beside Junpei sat Yukari, and next to her was Fuuka, while Aigis sat next to Ken. Shinjiro was standing by the same window he seemingly had been all night.

"I wanted to wait until Arisato was found, but by the time he showed up here, Iori-kun was already asleep," Theodore answered cheerfully as Mitsuru took a seat in the armchair opposite Theodore and Akihiko next to Aigis. He crossed his legs and leaned his elbow onto the armrest, rubbing his forehead wearily.

"I was still sleeping, you know..." Junpei muttered.

"Where is Minato anyway?" Ken asked.

"He's sleeping," Theodore nodded.

"I set him up in the vacant room," Mitsuru added.

"Why the hell did you get us up so early?" Junpei groaned.

"Hm? I thought everyone got up at dawn in this world?" he frowned.

"Who the hell told you that?"

"I guess I just assumed..." he murmured, casting his gaze downward as his frown deepened.

"Uh, a-anyway..." Fuuka cut in, an attempt to save Theodore from any more embarrassment. "What is it you wanted to tell us, Theo?"

"Oh yes. It's about the Dark Hour; it wasn't completely resolved. In fact, it still exists everywhere but here in Iwatodai."

"What?" Junpei snapped, quickly lifting his head.

"As does Tartarus. But in fragments scattered about the country. I believe one fragment is even abroad."

"Fragments...?" Fuuka gasped.

"How is that even possible?" Junpei demanded.

"To be honest, I don't have any ideas, but..." Theodore sighed. "I believe that Arisato's abilities can help in destroying the fragments of Tartarus, and with Tartarus gone and the Dark Hour completely eradicated, the burden fate thrust upon Master Minako will lifted. And then perhaps she can return..."

"How do we destroy the fragments?" Mitsuru inquired.

"I'm not entirely sure," he grinned sheepishly. "But I'm certain that if you explore the fragments with Arisato as your leader, you'll find the answers."

"So you not gonna eve help us?" Junpei complained.

"I'm afraid not," Theodore grinned apologetically. "I believe...that I may be losing my powers," he sighed.

"Losing you powers...?" Fuuka questioned.

"Yes," he nodded. "I spent four years outside of the Velvet Room in search of anyway to help Master Minako. Whether or not that has anything to do with it I know not, but I'm no where near as strong as I was the day I left."

"Maybe you're just out of practice?" Yukari tried.

"No... I''m an avatar of great power. I've never once needed any sort of training, I've been strong for as long as my memory goes back," he sighed.

"I'm sorry..." Fuuka frowned.

"In any case," he continued, returning to his cheery disposition, "I'll just be more of a hindrance than any kind of help."

"How do we find the fragments?" Mitsuru asked.

"I only know of the exact location of one, and just general locations of the others. It will take me time to pinpoint the others, but I'll let you know as soon as I find them. But I won't ask you to begin your quest so soon!" he stated, quickly raising his hands in defense. "Apparently you will all need more rest than I thought, so please take the time to do so. I can tell you the first location as soon as you all wake up."

"Bah, finally," Junpei muttered, wasting no time in standing up and heading back up to his room.

Fuuka watched as all the others stood up except for Akihiko and Theodore, while Shinjiro headed off into the dining room. "Uh, Theo... Where will you sleep for the time being?" she asked.

"He can in Arisato... Our Arisato's room for the time being if he likes," Mitsuru offered, pausing as Yukari, Aigis, and Ken continued on upstairs.

"What? No way!" Akihiko protested, shooting up. "That's, uh... The girls' floor anyway..." he mumbled.

"It's the only room available, Akihiko..."

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly," Theodore grinned sheepishly. "I would hate to intrude upon her things anymore than I have already."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Akihiko snapped.

"What about the Chairman's old room?" Fuuka tried.

"That's more of an office than a bedroom..."

"It's already more than I need, I assure you," Theodore nodded.

"Very well. Yamagishi can show you up, then."

"Thank you," he bowed, smiling at Fuuka then as she led him the way.

Mitsuru watched them off before turning back to Akihiko, who had been glaring at Theodore the whole time. "Good night, Akihiko."

"Night..." he muttered, shaking his head. He sulked off towards the dining room then.

Shinjiro was sitting on a stool at the bar, hands in pockets. He glanced up absently as Akihiko approached.

"Shinji... I'm sorry," he sighed, hanging his head.

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged.

"I just saw the recording and overreacted..."

"Yeah, I know. Fuuka told me about it. Nothing happened, you know."

"Huh?"

"I showed her my room and that was that. Nothing happened."

"I-I see... I'm sorry..."

"I'm used to it."

Akihiko glanced up at him and smiled wearily. "Good night, Shinji."

###

"Good morning, Yukari, Junpei," Fuuka greeted as she stepped into the second floor sitting area.

"Morning, Fuuka," Yukari grinned, waving her over.

"Is Aigis alright...?" Fuuka asked hesitantly as she walked over to join them. At the very end of the hall lined with the boys' rooms was Aigis, standing in front of Minato's door and staring intently at it.

"Yeah, she's been at it all morning," Junpei shrugged.

"What is she doing?"

"Hell if I know."

"So how did you spend Christmas, Fuuka?" Yukari asked.

"Hm? Oh, I didn't do anything special," she smiled sheepishly. "I just worked mostly."

"Awh, what fun is that?" Junpei teased.

"How did you spend your Christmas then, Junpei?" Yukari shot back.

"Heheh, I spent it with none other than Chidori!" he chimed.

"Oh, how are you two doing?" Fuuka asked.

"Great! She still doesn't remember me exactly or anything that happened, but that doesn't matter anymore," he grinned triumphantly. "What about you, Yuka-tan?"

"I just helped with the Archery Club's promotion around campus," Yukari shrugged.

"What's this? The class screw-up actually did something better than the two successful types?"

"You got us there, Junpei," Fuuka giggled.

"Ugh, don't remind me..." Yukari mumbled.

Theodore smiled slightly at Junpei's laughter as he descended the stairs to the second floor. "Good morning everyone," he greeted with a slight bow. "I trust you all slept well?"

"Good morning, Theo," Yukari nodded. "Did you?"

"Hm? No... I didn't sleep at all, in fact," he grinned wearily. "In truth, I've been troubled by something..."

"What is it?" Fuuka asked.

"Well..." he murmured, joining them at the table then and setting the box he had been holding down. "Are you all really so comfortable with dropping everything in your lives to help me bring back Master Minako?"

"You didn't seem so bothered by that when you first explained everything to us," Yukari mumbled.

"My apologies. I suppose I was caught up in the excitement," he smiled apologetically.

"That's okay, we can understand that," Fuuka nodded reassuringly.

"Yeah, I guess..." Yukari nodded. "And anyway, it's not like we're doing it for you. We want Minako back just as much as you do."

"Yeah, Minako-chan was my best friend... It sucked when she went away," Junpei frowned.

"But we do appreciate your help, Theo," Fuuka added quickly.

Theodore smiled at them and nodded. "Thank you. That puts my mind at ease somewhat."

"Hey, uh... What's with that box anyway?" Junpei asked, glancing down at the box he had been holding close.

"Oh, this..." he trailed, glancing down as well. "This is Sanada-san's. I wish that he wouldn't let it leave his sight," he sighed. "On that note, where is Sanada-san?"

"In his room, I guess," Yukari shrugged.

"Still sleeping, I presume," he nodded, standing up. "I'll return it later, then."

"If you want him to have it so badly, why did you keep it with you all night?" Junpei asked.

"I-I don't know..." he murmured, staring down at it again. He shook his head then and gave them another apologetic smile before turning and heading off downstairs again.

###

Several hours later when everyone was awake and rested, Theodore insisted that they immediately begin departure for the first fragment. It was located in Nara, at least a day's trip by bullet train, but luckily enough Mitsuru had the resources necessary to allow everyone a plane ride over, significantly cutting the time it took to get there. Once they arrived, Theodore informed everyone he had already taken the liberty of renting out an entire hotel for the operation.

"Are you serious?" Junpei asked incredulously. "You rented out a whole hotel?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid it's not too big, but it should accommodate your needs," Theodore nodded, glancing up at the hotel building as they arrived.

"This place is massive..." Akihiko murmured, looking up as well.

"Whoa, we're staying here?" Junpei cried out in excitement, wasting no time in running inside.

"I'm surprised they have such a big place out here in the sticks..." Yukari mumbled.

"Nara has become a tourist hot spot in recent years, actually," Mitsuru replied. "They've maintained the country aspect while catering to high-end guests."

"Yeah, this particular hotel was built only a year or two ago," Fuuka confirmed with a nod. "But I hear it's very expensive... How could you afford to rent out the entire build for a prolonged time, Theo?" she asked, turning towards him.

"It didn't seem all too expensive to me..." he shrugged.

"Let's just get this over with," Shinjiro mumbled, to which Akihiko agreed with a nod and followed him inside. The other members of SEES followed suit while Theodore lagged behind.

"Are we in any specific room?" Ken asked once inside.

"No, feel free to choose whatever room you like."

"Sweet!" Junpei grinned, running off again to the elevator this time.

"I'll just take the stairs," Akihiko said, excusing himself from the rest of the group as he slipped through the door leading to the staircase.

"Ugh, what a downer," Junpei groaned, grinning again as the elevator doors slid open and he hopped aboard. "Whoa, even the elevator is ginormous!"

"You're easily pleased, aren't you, Stupei?" Yukari teased, stepping aboard along side Mitsuru, Shinjiro, Aigis, and Ken.

Fuuka paused at the door and glanced over her shoulder towards Theodore. He was staring off at the door to the staircase, puzzled. "Theo?" she asked, stealing his attention.

"Hm?"

"Are you coming?"

"Oh, right, sorry," he grinned apologetically, quickly making his way over to join them as Fuuka held the door for him. "This...is what an elevator looks like in your world?" he asked, frowning as he peered inside cautiously. "It's so small...!"

"Small? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I think I'd rather take the next one, go on ahead..." he grinned sheepishly.

Fuuka frowned slightly as she glanced up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, you needn't worry," he assured, gently pushing her onto the elevator and waved to them all as the doors slid shut. With everyone gone, Theodore adverted his attention towards the buttons beside the elevator, or rather the one button.

"Hm? Shouldn't there be two...? One to go up and one to go down...? Although, I suppose that being on the ground floor there isn't really a need for 'Go Down' button... Hmph." He hit the base of his hand to his forehead with a frown, and then pressed the button to hale another elevator.

Instantly, doors slid open to his right. He stepped inside the carriage cautiously and glanced around, jumping when the doors slid shut behind him. He turned around and studied the buttons to the left of the doors before pressing the button with the largest number printed on it. As the elevator began it ascent, Theodore took the time to investigate, pressing his hands against the walls. "No hidden doors...?" he frowned, pressing his ear to the wall now. "This is hardly an elevator," he mumbled, pulling away from the wall. "No where near as smooth as the Velvet Room either..." he complained, sitting down with his back to the wall. He drew his knees in close and wrapped his arms around his legs. "And it's so miniscule..." he whimpered.

On the top floor of the building, Junpei and the others stepped off elevator and immediately Mitsuru and Shinjiro left the group, shortly followed by Ken and Aigis.

"Anyone else think that Theo guy is completely off his rocker?" Junpei asked after Fuuka insisted they wait for him.

"Coming from you, that must be really saying something," Yukari teased.

"Hey!"

"He's just not used to our world," Fuuka defended. "Give him a chance."

"But he's supposedly been in it for four years now..." he pointed out.

"That's true..." she murmured, glancing up as a pair of doors slid open a little ways down the hall. She hurried over when no one had stepped off. "Theo...?"

"I-it's so small..." he whimpered, his chin on his knees. When he noticed the doors had opened, he quickly bolted up and out.

"Are you okay...?"

"Uh, y-yes, just fine," he stammered quickly. "Did you find a room to your liking?"

"That thing is so big..." Junpei mumbled, peering inside the elevator again.

"Uh, not yet," Yukari answered, stifling her laughter.

"Please do so now, then. Come time for midnight, please meet me in the lobby downstairs."

"O-okay," Fuuka nodded.

"Spread the word?"

###

"Maaan, this place is amazing!" Junpei grinned broadly, falling back onto the couch between Yukari and Aigis in the lobby.

"Yeah, it's so big..." Ken agreed, standing behind the couch as he stared up towards the ceiling.

"Where is Theo? He told us to meet here at midnight..." Yukari frowned.

"Maybe he finally fell asleep?" Fuuka tried.

"That's great..." Akihiko muttered.

"Here he comes," Shinjiro said quietly, watching as Theodore approached with a large bag in tow.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting," he grinned wearily, hauling the bag onto the table. He glanced up at Akihiko as he undid the fastenings on the bag and unraveled it. "Do you have the music box with you?"

"No..."

"But you need it at all-"

"What for?"

"I-I don't know..." he frowned, shaking his head then, spreading the bag along the table. "Here is everyone's Evokers and weapons," he announced.

"Wow, how did you dig all these up?" Junpei asked, standing up to take a look at everything.

"I kept tabs on every one of Master Minako's friends when she was still just a guest. I know what weapons everyone uses, and I've taken the liberty of providing you all with the most effective model of each weapon. Uhm... Where is Arisato?"

"Right there," Fuuka said, pointing to the hand that poked out from behind the couch. "What are you doing back there, Minato-san...?" she asked, peering behind the couch.

"Nothing, really," he shrugged, pocketing his hand again as he stood up lazily.

"I figured Master Minako's naginata wouldn't suit your whim, so I snuck back into the Velvet Room and brought back your short sword," Theodore informed, handing him the sword.

"Why did you have to sneak back in?" Aigis asked.

"Oh, did I say that? That's not all what I meant," he answered quickly with a sheepish grin.

"Then what did you mean...?"

"Why don't we ask questions later, hm? We really should be going anyway," he nodded, snatching up Minako's green naginata and marching out through the front door.

* * *

**Just so everyone knows, as far as my progress in writing this is concerned, I'm already working on chapter five. But I really want to give this fiction a chance to thrive, so I'm posting the chapters in calculated bursts.**

**In any case, I thank you all so, SO much for all the wonderful reviews. If it weren't for you all, I wouldn't be as excited for this story as I am now. I owe it all to you guys. c:**

**Thanks. ;w;**

**I hope you enjoy~!**

**Alsoitsmyfault theseguysare horriblyoutof characterand Imahorribleperson doomedtoburn infanfictionhell.**


	4. Chariot

**Chapter 4 = Chariot**

_"One of life's greatest blessings is the freedom to pursue one's goal."_

* * *

"Heh, this brings back memories, eh?" Junpei snickered, dragging his sword behind them as they followed Minato through the halls in the first fragment.

"Not very pleasant ones..." Yukari mumbled. "Hey, how come we haven't seen any shadows yet?"

"Maybe they're scared?" Minato tried with a shrug.

"Scared? You think so?" Junpei asked.

"Why not?"

"Oh, I see... It's because I'm here to strike fear into the heart of all the shadows, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's it exactly, Stupei."

"Stop calling me that...!"

"You know what I don't get?" Yukari started then, ignoring Junpei.

"How to be nice for a change?" Junpei muttered begrudgingly.

"How you and Minako are supposed to be the same person... You two are nothing alike."

"Hm? Me?" Minato asked, glancing over his shoulder. "I don't even know her," he grinned, shrugging.

"Well, of course not. She died four years ago. Where did you come from anyway?" Junpei asked.

"I've been to a lot of places. I can't tell you where the starting place is."

"Huh? Why not?"

"I don't even know myself."

As the three youngest continued to talk it out, essentially leading the group of six, the older three - Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Shinji - lagged behind. Ken and Aigis had been asked to stair at the ground floor with Theodore and Fuuka.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Shinji..." Akihiko sighed after a while.

"Didn't I already tell you to forget about it?" Shinjiro muttered. "It's no big deal."

"But-" he started to protest until Mitsuru extended her arm and sword in front of the two, stopping them in their tracks as she stared intently ahead. They both stopped instantly and gazed ahead to find nothing, and then turned their gaze towards her. "Mitsuru...?"

"Waaah!" Yukari let out a scream as the wall beside her warped into a black figure and tackled her to the ground. The entire area around them morphed into a completely different scenery. The dull green walls that once surrounded them in all their faded glory were now regal and gold. The floor was carpeted in crimson, and the ceiling littered with elaborate chandeliers.

"Whoa, shit!" Junpei cried out, jumping back as Yukari struggled against the black mass with arms on the floor.

"Don't just stand there, do something!" she wailed.

"Ah!" Another wall contorted into a black figure and attacked Mitsuru, knocking her to the ground a ways back from Akihiko and Shinjiro, and sent her sword down the hall.

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko yelled, quickly running to her aid. His first attempt at rescuing her proved to be futile, as his gloved hands phased through the being as he tried to pull it off. "What the hell...?" he frowned.

"Weapons won't work on these!" Fuuka's voice ran through everyone's ears.

"Great," Shinjiro muttered, dropping his axe as he rushed over to Mitsuru and Akihiko.

"Whaddaya mean weapons won't work?" Junpei complained.

Shinjiro quickly pushed Akihiko aside and kicked the figure off of Mitsuru and snatched her wrist and dragging her away. "Aki!"

"Right," Akihiko nodded, taking his Evoker and pressed the nozzle to his forehead, pulling the trigger. Caesar materialized in front of him and raised the hand holding a globe, and a strong burst of lighting shot down on the figure.

Meanwhile, as Yukari struggled against the figure on her and Junpei ran around frantically, confused as to what to do, Minato slashed his sword into a wall, slicing through the rope tied to a hook and had been keeping one of the chandeliers off the ground. With the rope cut, the chandelier came crashing down towards Yukari and her assailant. With a burst of adrenaline from the oncoming chandelier, Yukari managed to kick the figure off and roll out just in time.

"Whoa... That was kind of cool..." Junpei breathed.

"Were those shadows?" Yukari gasped as she pulled herself up.

"They were unlike any shadow I've ever seen before..." Mitsuru frowned.

"Are you two alright?" Akihiko asked.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Yeah, I'm fine, no thanks to someone," Yukari muttered.

"What was I supposed to do without a weapon?" Junpei complained.

"I'll have to ask that you all evacuate immediately," Theodore said through the transceiver. "I sense a very hostile change within the fragment."

"Hostile change?" Mitsuru frowned.

Yukari let out another scream as a trap door opened up underneath her, sending her sliding down a chute.

"Takeba!" Akihiko called out, jumping down the chute head first after her out of reflex.

"Aki, you idiot!" Shinjiro snapped.

As the others rushed towards the chute to peer down, Minato wedged his sword out of the wall. Once it had been freed, a click sounded behind the door, and in an instant it rotated around, taking Minato with it.

"Yamagishi! Do you sense them?" Mitsuru asked hurriedly, the last three oblivious to the fact that Minato was missing now as well.

"N-no, they're both gone..." Fuuka said, her frown almost audible. "And now Minato-kun, too!"

"Huh? Minato?" Junpei frowned, glancing over his shoulder where he had left him. "Ah, shit..." he grumbled.

###

Akihiko opened his eyes as the whistling wind around him raged through his ears. The sun shone brightly above him, and vividly white clouds passed him by in a flash. "This can't be good..." he muttered, gazing all around him for any end in sight. He seemed to be all alone in his descent.

His khaki jacket fluttered rapidly in the wind and his red knit scarf pulled away from him. Had he been wearing that scarf earlier...?

"Aki?"

He glanced up above him again, this time to find Minako. The wind didn't have any effect on her.

"Minako?"

"You don't actually trust him, do you?"

"Trust who?"

"He's nothing like me, you know..."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't trust him, Aki," she warned before motioning him to look up with a nod. He frowned at her before hesitantly following her gaze.

"Miki!" he yelled, eyes wide. He rolled over and reached his arms out toward his wailing sister as she fell. He cut through the air, speeding his way towards her. The blue sky and white clouds around him began to erode away into dark blue-tinted void as he got closer and closer to his sister. When his hand finally wrapped around her wrist, he didn't recognize her as Miki anymore. Her squeaky voice turned into a more mature one.

As they reached the end of the chute, Akihiko pulled Yukari close and wrapped his arms around her protectively. They went airborne for only a few seconds before crashing to the floor.

Akihiko landed on his shoulder and Yukari skidded out of his arms and across the floor.

"Ow..." Yukari mumbled, sitting up with a hand to her head. She glanced over towards Akihiko who was still laying on the ground. "Senpai! Are you alright?" she asked, crawling over.

"Y-yeah..." he muttered, sitting up and holding onto his shoulder. "Come on, we need to get out here," he said then, quickly standing up.

###

"Quick, we need to find a way to get down there," Mitsuru urged, taking lead and taking off down the hall with Shinjiro close behind. Junpei took another fleeting glance down the chute before groaning and hurrying after the other two.

They ran down what seemed to be a never ending hallway until they finally reached a fork in the road and came to an abrupt stop.

"Which way, Senpai?" Junpei asked. "Should we split up?"

"No, we're already depleted to half the power we started out with; lowering that anymore would be detrimental. Yamagashi!"

"Go to the right," Theodore instructed in place of Fuuka. "Arisato is down there."

"Roger," Mitsuru nodded, taking off again down the designated hall.

As they rushed forward, Shinjiro noticed two more walls melt down into the same shadows as before. "Dammit..." he muttered, quickly stepping in front of Mitsuru as she came to a halt again, and headbutted one of the shadows as it lunged towards them.

"Uh, Senpai...!" Junpei called out as the other shadow approached from behind them. Mitsuru glanced over her shoulder, and then back at Shinjiro. "Scout ahead, Iori and I will eliminate this one."

Shinjiro nodded and hurried on ahead as Mitsuru turned around, readying her Evoker as did Junpei. Both performed a quick and simultaneous Agidyne and Bufudyne on the shadow before continuing on after Shinjiro.

"What? A dead end?" Junpei complained once they all reached the end.

"That's what it looks like..." Shinjiro mumbled.

"Theodore, what's going on?" Mitsuru asked.

"I don't know... There shouldn't be a blockage..." Theodore frowned.

"It's another shadow!" Fuuka cried just as the wall in front of them morphed as well.

"Shinjiro!" Mitsuru clamored as the shadow attacked him this time.

"What do we do?" Junpei panicked.

"We can't attack the shadow without hurting Shinjiro, too..." Mitsuru frowned.

"Just do it!" Shinjiro barked, fighting against the shadow.

Junpei nodded quickly and pulled out his Evoker again, performing another Agidyne on the shadow.

"Iori, wait!" Mitsuru snapped, but it was too late. The blast of fire effectively rid the shadow from Shinjiro, but also injured him severely. "Yamagishi, we're going to need backup..."

"Ken-kun is on his way," Fuuka informed.

###

"This operation has gone horribly array..." Aigis muttered after Ken had left to assist.

"I'm afraid it has," Theodore agreed with a frown. "Perhaps I should have conducted a preliminary exploration myself before sending you all in blindly..."

"You couldn't have known, Theo," Fuuka consoled him. "Besides, we're a powerful group, we'll make it."

Aigis gave her a weary grin before turning her attention towards the stairs leading to the higher levels of the fragment, worry etched onto her face. "There's one thing I don't understand..." she murmured without breaking her gaze. "Why is Iwatodai the only area without a Dark Hour?"

"Mm, my sister explained it to me some time ago, but I don't quite remember..." Theodore mused. "I believe it has something to do with how you all stopped the fall and saturated Iwatodai with your presence, perhaps?"

"Really?" Fuuka asked.

"If I recall correctly, yes," he grinned sheepishly. "My apologies, my memory isn't exactly what it once was..." He glanced up then with a frown, turning his attention to the door. "Uh, oh..."

"What is it?" Fuuka asked before the door blew open and both Margaret and Elizabeth stepped inside. Fuuka frowned deeply as Juno disappeared instantly. "What...?"

Aigis spun around just in time to deflect a card thrown at her while Theodore leapt towards Fuuka and wrapped his arms around her, rolling out of the way of another two cards.

"Theo," Margaret sighed, watching him closely as he pushed Fuuka behind him. "Where is the boy?"

"Not here," he shrugged, grinning sheepishly again.

"You know he doesn't belong in this world. It's too dangerous."

"But we need him...!"

"Theo..." Margaret started wearily, glancing over then as Elizabeth jumped in front of her. He book was opened and a persona in front of her, blowing away Aigis with a Garudyne as she attempted an attack. Aigis landed on her feet at first and slid back until she lost her footing and fell down.

"I'm sorry, Aigis," Elizabeth murmured, closing the book again.

"Just use Megidolaon on her, we need Arisato back," Margaret sighed.

"What?" Theodore asked, eyes widening. "You mustn't!"

"Margaret..." Elizabeth frowned, glancing back at her.

"What? You know what'll happen if we allow Arisato to stay here for long, and they're just standing in our way. Do it."

"And what do you plan to do to him when you have him back?" Elizabeth retorted.

"That's for the Master to decide, you know that."

"Elizabeth, don't do it..." Theodore pleaded.

"Fine, I'll do it myself," Margaret muttered, pulling out her book.

His eyes widened again, and he turned around to Fuuka and wrapped his arms around her, a feeble attempt to protect her.

"Satan!" Elizabeth shouted then as Margaret opened her book. Satan appeared behind Elizabeth, and stretched out his arms. His Black Vipor attack struck Margaret and sent her flying backwards.

Theodore cringed, embracing for impact, and then opened his eyes when it never came. He glanced over his shoulder to see Elizabeth standing with her book opened and Margaret laying on the floor halfway across the room. "Theo...?" came Fuuka's trembling voice.

He glanced down at her for a moment before quickly releasing her and standing straight again. "Sorry," he grinned sheepishly.

"Elizabeth...?" Margaret asked incredulously, pulling herself up again.

Elizabeth stared back at her older sister until the building around them began to shake violently. "Theo, get everyone out of here!" she snapped, calling for Satan's Black Vipor again.

###

"Sorry about that, Senpai..." Junpei apologized, supporting Shinjiro with his shoulder as they waited for Ken.

"It was necessary," Shinjiro grunted.

"I guess," he grinned sheepishly, glancing off down the hall. "Hey, is that Ken now?"

Mitsuru followed his gaze and waited a moment until the blurred figure came closer. "No... It's Arisato."

"He's got someone," Shinjiro added.

"Hey! Where the hell have you been?" Junpei called as Minato approached.

"Lost," Minato shrugged. In his arms he held a limp girl with long black hair.

"Hey, she looks kinda familiar..." Junpei said, staring down at the girl.

"She was dead when I found her..."

"Dead?" Mitsuru frowned, bracing herself then as the building began to shake.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"The fragment's falling apart..." Minato murmured, glancing up as pieces of the ceiling began to crash all around them.

"We need to get out of here..." Shinjiro muttered.

"Amada still isn't here, though."

"He'll be fine," Minato said nonchalantly, shifting the weight of the dead girl to one arm and pulled out a small gem with his now free hand. He dropped it to the ground, and a bright light flashed around them. When the light dissipated, they found themselves outside the fragment of Tartarus along with the others.

"A traesto gem..." Mitsuru grinned slightly.

"Hey, I thought you guys were lost in there?" Junpei asked, glancing towards Akihiko, Yukari, and Ken.

"We found our way out by accident, in truth," Yukari shrugged.

"I don't even know how I ended up out here..." Ken mumbled.

"Shinji? What happened?" Akihiko asked.

"Just a little burn."

"Oh, yeah, that was my fault," Junpei grinned sheepishly.

"Is everyone accounted for, then...?" Theodore asked quietly, watching as the fragment crumbbled to the ground wearily.

"Yeah, I think so," Yukari nodded, looking towards Minato then. "Hey, is that Rio?"

"Rio?" he asked.

"Yeah, she was on the Tennis team," she nodded.

"She was good friends with Minako..." Akihiko confirmed.

"What was she doing in that fragment?" Junpei asked.

"Maybe she wandered in?" Fuuka offered. "A lot of people did when Tartarus was still a tower."

"Yeah, but she was never reported missing," Yukari pointed out.

"Yes she was..." Mitsuru said quietly. "Two years ago. A few of our Arisato's friends from school have gone missing. I had the most talented investigators from the Group look into the disappearances, but they never discovered anything. And now..." she trailed.

"While that is unfortunate, that still doesn't explain why she was in the fragment to begin with, or what destroyed it..." Theodore murmured, turning away from the remains then. "I wish I understood all of this better..."

"We'll figure it out, Theo," Fuuka tried, frowning up at him. "Maybe the disappearances are somehow linked to the fragments?"

"She hasn't been dead for long, by the looks of it... If they are connected, then maybe the others are still alive," Akihiko said.

"If that's the case, we'll need to hurry to the other fragments," Mitsuru nodded.

"After all that's happened tonight, you're still willing to risk everything...?" Theodore frowned, glancing up at them all.

"We're doing this to save Minako, right?" Junpei asked. "We have to do this."

"Yeah, Minako sacrificed everything for us, it wouldn't be right if we didn't brave a few risks to help her out," Yukari agreed.

"I see..." Theodore nodded hesitantly. "I suppose we should all head back to the hotel, then. I'm sure you're all very tired."

* * *

**Here's the next chapter for you all. I was originally going to put off publishing this a little longer than the previous three chapters so that my bestest buddy could edit this first. There was a major part in the plot in this chapter I was having second thoughts about, and wanted Kyt's opinion of awesome on it before I continued on with the story.**

**However, she was busy doing other things and I got bored of waiting as I get bored very easily, so I started plotting ahead in the story. While I was plotting, the events that take place here became very crucial, so I decided to keep it. c:;;**

**As always, thank you so much for reading this and for your kind words of encouragement. I hope this chapter isn't too ridiculous and turns you off from the story as a whole. :3;;**


	5. True Colors

**Chapter 5 = True Colors**

_"It is indeed a precious gift to understand the forces that guide oneself."_

* * *

Minako sat on the ground, huddled up against the vast golden doors and clutched her head as she shivered. Her hair had been pulled down and her school uniform had been torn.

She watched as the black hand loomed over head, getting closer and closer until it finally hit up against her, smashing her against the door.

"Go away!" she shrieked as it washed away and rose to repeat. She moved her hands to hold her ribs, a few of which had been broken just then. "Go away... Go away..." she pleaded weakly. "Please... Just go away..."

###

Theodore sat on the couch in the lobby, legs crossed and elbow on armrest as a means to prop up his chin in his hand. He stared out at the window with the sun shining brightly through and the birds chirping cheerfully. His brow was furrowed somewhat while he tapped a finger to his lips, hinting at the deep-seated worry and regret he felt.

He was careless in the night prior. He almost lost everyone of his precious guest's closest friends. He wanted nothing more than to save her from her awful fate, but what good would it do if everything she held dear weren't around to greet her? He would hate to see her upset.

He was so careless.

"Theo...?" Fuuka's timid voice momentarily stole his attention. She was standing behind the couch, staring down at her hands she held clasped together. "I wanted to thank you for last night..."

"... Huh?" he frowned, turning to gaze at her over his shoulder.

"Even though it was your sister who stopped that other girl, you still tried to protect me, even though you know I'm not as important to Minako as Aigis. And if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have this chance at bringing Minako back... So, thank you."

He stared at her for a moment, letting her words soak in before letting a small smile creep onto his face. He uncrossed his legs and stood up and rounded the couch to meet her on the other side. "You're very kind, Yamagishi-san," he murmured, patting the top of her head gently. "But I was wrong to say those three were the most important ones to Master Minako. In truth, you're all as precious to her as she is to me. I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner."

"You don't have to say that," she grinned wearily up at him. "I'm okay with it, really."

"Mm? But it's true. In fact, I ask that you all proceed with the future operations with the utmost caution. Master Minako wouldn't favor returning only to see her friends slain, I'm sure," he smiled cheerfully. "I'll do my part in ensuring this as well."

"O-oh, okay..." Fuuka nodded, grinning sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm sorry... We're not interrupting anything, are we?" Yukari asked then as she and Mitsuru reached the bottom of the stairs.

"N-no! Nothing!" Fuuka answered quickly, downcasting her gaze as her face turned a light shade of pink.

"What would you be interrupting?" Theodore inquired, tilting his head to the side.

"... You're clueless, aren't you?" Yukari snickered.

"Clueless? I'd hardly say I'm clueless..." he frowned.

"Definitely clueless."

"What?" he complained.

"Anyway, Senpai here and I were about to go for a walk. Wanna come, Fuuka?"

"Uh, sure, okay," Fuuka nodded, hurrying over towards the two.

"Clueless...?" Theodore repeated with a pout as he watched the three off. "Hardly clueless..." He returned to his perch on the couch to contemplate the passed operation again.

What did Margaret mean when she said that Arisato was dangerous? Why couldn't he stay in this world for too long? What would happen? How was Master Minako doing?

... What happened to the sun?

With a frown, he glanced up in front of him to find Minato looming over him, staring silently at him.

"... May I help you?"

"Can you explain to me what is going on...?" he asked hesitantly.

"What is it you don't understand?"

Minato stared silently for a moment longer before sighing inwardly and took a seat in the armchair. "Everything... Who is Minako? Who am I?"

"Master Minako is the Great Seal, protecting everyone from Nyx. You are the same being as Master Minako, but just what that means is beyond the extent of my knowledge."

"Where did I come from?"

"I don't know. My sister and I found you in Hokkaido, however, which is the next operation's location ironically."

"What else can you tell me?"

"Only that there will be three more operations."

"I see..."

"I have a question for you, however. Where did you come across that Evoker?"

"Evoker?"

"You use it to summon your persona..."

"Oh, that thing? I dunno, I just found it," he shrugged, cringing then and doubling out of the chair, clutching his head.

"Arisato-san?" Theodore asked, his voice dripping with concern as he quickly slid off the couch and knelt down beside Minato. "What's wrong?"

"M-my head..." he growled in pain.

"Hey, what's going on?" Junpei asked, quickly appearing behind them.

"He says its his head..." Theodore frowned, reaching out his hand to his neck and pushed his thumb into the necessary pressure point. Minato lost consciousness instantly and dropped to his side.

"What did you do?" Junpei demanded.

"Knocked him out. He's not in any pain now," Theodore answered, setting Minato back in the chair before facing Junpei. "How are you?"

"Huh? I'm fine...?"

"That's good. How are Aragaki- and Sanada-san holding up?"

"I dunno, I think Senpai is still asleep... Wait, Akihiko-senpai? He wasn't even hurt."

"Hm? Of course he was. His scapula was fractured..."

"Scapu-what...? What the hell are you talking about, man?"

"Did he never say anything about it?" Theodore frowned.

"I dunno..."

"Stay here with Arisato-san while I go check on Sanada-san. If he wakes, give him a remedy for his headache," he sighed, hurrying up the stairs then.

"What kind of remedy...?" Junpei frowned.

Theodore stalked down the hall, scanning the room numbers until he finally came to Akihiko's room and knocked on the door.

"Kind of busy right now," came Akihiko's annoyed voice from the other side of the door.

"You're injured."

"... What?"

Theodore opened the door and slipped inside. "You're shoulder blade. It's broken."

"H-how did you know?"

"I saw how you were holding it last night. Why haven't you told anyone?"

"It's not a big deal," he sighed wearily. "Who the hell said you could come in, anyway?" he muttered.

"Do I need an invitation?"

"Yeah."

"My apologies, then. I'll be quick."

"Quick with what...?" he frowned as Theodore approached. He grabbed Akihiko's good shoulder and spun him around in the swivel chair he had been sitting on. "What are you do- Ah!" he cried out as Theodore placed the palm of his hand against the broken bone. He rolled his hand around gently along the bone, setting it in place.

"Dammit!" Akihiko snapped once Theodore pulled back.

"Be thankful it's only affecting your right hand, not your left. You can still summon your persona at the very least," he murmured, putting together a makeshift sling out of the curtains.

"You're still going to let me fight...?"

"Why not? Your persona is very strong, it wouldn't make sense to let it go to waste now."

"Huh..."

"Unless you would rather wait to heal?"

"No, I'll fight," he mumbled. "Hey..." he started then as Theodore had turned to leave.

"Hm?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"What do we know about that Minato guy...?"

"That his name is Minato and he is a guy...?" he grinned.

"That's not what I meant... I mean, you say he and Minako are the same, but they act nothing alike."

"It baffles me, too, Sanada-san."

"... Are you sure he can be trusted?"

Theodore paused, turning his gaze towards the ground before answering. "In truth, you should be least trusting in me," he murmured.

"What do you mean...?"

"Master Minako is very precious to me. I've already walked to the ends of the Earth for her and I would do it again just to see her smile again. But in the end, it's you who makes her the happiest. I resent you for that. This petty jealousy I feel... The only thing keeping me from acting on it is knowing how much it would upset her..." he sighed, lifting his gaze again. "Make sure to always have the music box with you," he murmured before leaving the room.

###

Several hours later when night had fallen again, most of the members of the original SEES were seated in the lobby. Junpei sat on the couch with Aigis and Yukari on either side of him while Minato sat in the arm chair with Ken standing between the chair and couch. Mitsuru stood by the window, observing the scenery outside silently.

"So... What were you doing before you got dragged into this mess?" Junpei asked.

"Hm? Nothing," Minato shrugged.

"What? How could you not be doing anything? Didn't you have friends to hang out with or something?"

"No, as far as I remember, I was alone for most of the time."

"Man... That sucks."

"Leave him alone, Junpei," Yukari sighed.

"Sorry... Hey, why don't we all go out and get something to eat?" he grinned, changing the subject.

"I believe Fuuka-san and Shinjiro-senpai are in the kitchen cooking already," Aigis replied.

"Shinjiro-senpai's cooking? That's even better!" he grinned broadly, jumping up and climbing over the couch.

"H-hey, Junpei! Don't ruin the furniture...!" Yukari snapped.

Junpei hurried over to kitchen and pushed open the door, peering inside. "Hey...!" he started until Shinjiro placed his hand over his face and pushed him back out.

"Wait with all the others," he muttered, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Awh, come on...!" Junpei complained.

"What's going on?" Akihiko asked as he came down the stairs.

Junpei pouted as he turned his attention from the door towards Akihiko, frowning then when he noticed his arm in a sling. "Whoa, Senpai, what happened to you?"

"I just hurt my shoulder," he shrugged with his good shoulder.

"Ooh, that's right... Theo said something about you being hurt," Junpei nodded. "Hey, tell Shinjiro-senpai to hurry up."

"Watch yourself, Junpei," Shinjiro's voice could be heard from inside the kitchen.

"Dammit..." he pouted, sulking over towards the dining hall.

Akihiko watched him off with a slight grin before shaking his head and joining the others in the lobby.

"Akihiko...?" Mitsuru frowned, glancing over at him. "What happened?"

"That's not from helping me out last night, is it...?" Yukari frowned.

"It's no big deal, don't worry about it."

"How do you expect to fight like that?" Mitsuru asked, folding her arms.

"Theo said I could just use my persona for now."

"No, Akihiko... You'll just be in the way."

"Not according to Theo."

"You didn't seem to like Theo at all before..." Yukari cut in. "Why now? Is it because he's actually going to let you still fight?"

"Not exactly," he mumbled.

"Then what is it?" Ken asked.

"It's not important," he sighed then. "Besides, Theo's the one in charge of everything now. If he says I can fight, I can fight."

"Theodore's taken over the same basic position as the Chairman, Akihiko, and you know how that turned out. Don't trust him so blindly."

"He's not anything like Ikutsuki, Mitsuru..."

"Hey, everyone! Come on, it's ready," Fuuka announced then, hurrying back to the dining hall.

"I still don't think you should fight, Akihiko," Mitsuru mumbled, passing him on her way to the dining hall along with Ken, Minato, and Aigis. Yukari watched them off as Akihiko glared at the floor.

"Hey, Senpai...? Thanks for helping me out last night. I don't think I thanked you for that yet..." Yukari sighed.

"No problem. I take it Shinji's doing better, then?"

"Yeah, he's fine," she nodded. "I'm surprised you were able to forgive him so easily, though..."

"What do you mean?"

"About how you never knew about him and Minako-chan."

"He said nothing happened, why wouldn't I forgive him?"

"What? Nothing happened?"

"Yeah, he said he showed her his room and that was it."

"Uh, Senpai... She stayed in his room for a long time..."

"What...? How do you know?"

"She wouldn't go through all that trouble just to force her way into his room, and then just leave immediately afterward," she shrugged, hurrying off towards the dining hall now.

* * *

**My goodness, you guys are catching up on me. xD;; I haven't finished the sixth chapter yet. In fact, it may be a little while before I actually can work on it again. There was an Extras Reunion for all those who worked on Mean Girls 2 and I stayed out until four in the morning when I was already only on four hours of sleep. It was so much fun, those guys are like a second family to me. TwT;; And then I have a business meeting to attend to today, so I may not get to work on it tonight, and then we're going to the ABC store to pick up Vegetarian friendly stuff for Christmas Dinner. And then after that, I imagine I might want to sleep for the rest of the year. B(;;**

**In any case, I'll try my best to get a leg up on the chapters so I can continue updating regularly, but I can't promise anything. Thanks so much again for reading; I love you guys. :'D**


	6. Hermit

**Chapter 6 = Hermit**

_"It requires great courage to look and oneself honestly and forge one's own path."_

* * *

"Man, who knew Hokkaido would be so friggin' cold..." Junpei muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket, hunching his shoulder to close the jacket around him more closely.

"Of course it's freezing, there's snow everywhere..." Yukari mumbled.

Everyone was sitting on a train, headed for the next fragment of Tartarus. Even with most of the bitter cold blocked out, it was still cold enough in the train to keep everyone shivering.

Theodore was laying down in his seat, curled up into a ball with a pile of blankets laying on top of him and a rag soaked in hot water rest on his forehead. Despite all that, he still remained the coldest out of everyone.

"Are you alright, Theo...?" Fuuka asked hesitantly, kneeling down in front of him.

"R-r-ragna-r-r-rok," he stammered, shaking violently.

"Huh...?"

"R-r-ragna-r-r-rok... S-s-s-s-surt... R-ragnar-rok..." he repeated, slowly pulling out his book of personae.

"N-no, Theo, don't do that...!" Fuuka cried out, quickly pushing the book down. "We're almost there, you can make it...!"

"I-i-is Master Min-nako back y-yet?" he pouted.

"No, not yet..." she sighed.

"It's strange..." Aigis murmured, watching the two on the other side of the aisle.

"What's strange?" Junpei asked, glancing over at her.

"Elizabeth is so strong, I can barely lay a hand on her... And yet, Theo seems so weak and vulnerable..."

"You think so?" Yukari asked.

"He wasn't always like this..." Fuuka sighed, switching out the rag on his forehead before joining the three.

"How do you know?"

"Minako-san fought against him by herself once. I remember it, because his power was so strong back then that it almost overloaded my senses... But then he said the other night how he was losing his power and getting weaker... I wonder what's causing it..."

"Who knows..." Junpei shrugged, glancing over at Theodore again as he chanted 'So cold' over and over again. "Kinda feel sorry for him, though, you know?"

"Me, too..." Fuuka nodded in agreement, frowning then as Theodore began sneezing. "You don't think he's getting sick, do you?"

"Ugh, I hope not..." Yukari mumbled.

###

"Sorry, guys... I think you might be on your own on this one," Fuuka apologized to the exploration group through the transceiver. "I can't get a clear reading on anything in here, and I can't get anything coherent from Theo-kun..."

"The frigid air... It horripilates me so..." Theodore's complaints could be heard on the other end.

"Sorry..." Fuuka apologized again. "I'll still keep trying."

"This is just great..." Junpei muttered. "Can't we go through one mission where everything doesn't fall to shit?"

"We can handle ourselves if we can manage to stick together. No need to worry, Iori," Mitsuru grinned slightly.

"Yeah... I feel bad for Aigis, though," Yukari sighed. "This is the second time we left her with Theo and Fuuka..."

"Only because all the shadows from the last fragment weren't hurt by physical attacks, and Aigis-san and Shinjiro-senpai both only know physical attacks," Ken replied.

"It was a precautionary measure," Mitsuru nodded.

"Hey, Minato, what kind of attacks does your persona know?" Junpei asked.

"Panta Rei," Minato answered without looking behind them as he led them forward.

"... Huh?"

"It's the strongest wind attack there is," Yukari explained. "But how do you know it, Minato-kun?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"What else does it know?" Ken asked.

"Wind boost and wind amp."

"Damn, that Panta Rei or whatever must pack one hell of a punch..."

"Wanna test it?" Minato asked, glancing back at him with a grin.

"Uh, no, that's alright..." he grinned sheepishly.

Minato continued to grin back at him for a moment longer before turning his attention ahead of him again, pausing.

"Minato...?" Junpei frowned, stopping beside him. Instantly, Minato spun around and took off running down the hall in the direction they had come from. "Minato...!"

"What gives...?" Yukari asked, watching him off along with the others. Just then, the hallway in front of them began to rumble.

"He may be onto something..." Akihiko muttered, pulling his Evoker from the hostler. "It's a rampage of shadows..."

"And just what are you going to do?" Mitsuru snapped, glaring at him as pushed the Evoker to his forehead.

"Slow them down. Get out of here, I'll catch up."

"Akihiko!"

"Just go!" he barked, pulling the trigger. Reluctantly, Mitsuru gave in and retreated along side the others after Minato. He watched her off wearily while Caesar materialized in front of him and cast Masukunda on the mass of shadows herding over each other towards him. Once he saw they had been effectively slowed, he cast Matarunda as well before hurrying after the others.

At the other end of the hall, Minato had skidded to a halt to another horde of shadows closing in on him. With a grimace, he glanced over his shoulders as Mitsuru and the others arrived. "Kirijo," he called out.

"Kirijo...?" Junpei and Yukari both asked in unison, exchanging glances.

"Come here, please. You, too, Junpei and Ken," Minato instructed. "Can you make those Bufudyne ice blocks without shattering?"

"Uhm... I suppose, but why?" Mitsuru asked hesitantly.

"An idea," he said. "Make two in front of Junpei and Ken. Then you two hit them at the shadows, 'kay?"

"Isn't that just going out of the way unnecessarily?" Ken asked.

"It's a preliminary test," he assured, turning back to Mitsuru. "Kirijo?"

"Very well," she mumbled, snatching her Evoker.

"What do I do, Minato-kun?" Yukari asked.

"Uh... Just look out for Akihiko," he shrugged, earning a glare. "Now!" he shouted then once the ice blocks appeared in front of Junpei and Ken, and they did as instructed. The ice flew out in front of them under their weapons' strike and crashed into a few shadows, knocking them back. "Good... Kirijo, again, and I'll need at least four in front of me."

"Right," she murmured, producing what was asked of her.

Junpei and Ken lashed out at the ice blocks as they had before while Minato summoned Orpheus Telos to perform Panta Rei, blowing the ice blocks in front of him directly into the mass of oncoming shadows, knocking several dozen back.

"Akihiko-senpai's here...!" Yukari called out begrudgingly as he trotted over.

"What the hell is going on here...?" Akihiko frowned.

"I don't even know..." Yukari mumbled, glaring at them as they continued to blow ice blocks at the shadows.

"Takeba!" Akihiko snapped then, the mass of shadows they had previously retreated from quickly approached.

"I thought you were going to slow them down!" Yukari shrieked, jerking her bow and arrow up and shot off an arrow at one of the shadows.

"Physical attacks are still out," Akihiko growled, hitting his forehead with his Evoker again. Yukari glanced up at him wearily before also taking out her Evoker and held it to her forehead.

They both summoned their personae at the same time, and performed Maziodyne and Magarudyne respectfully, taking out all the shadows on their end effortlessly.

"Help them, Takeba," Akihiko said then, putting his Evoker away again. She nodded obediently and performed Magarudyne once more on the shadows the rest of them were still struggling with.

Once they all disappeared into nothing, Minato frowned, lowering his own Evoker. "I was having fun..." he pouted. "Hm?" he asked then upon noticing a girl standing a short ways away from them. "Is she the one?"

"Huh?" Yukari asked, glancing up as well. "Hey... That's Saori-san!"

At the sound of her name, Saori took off running in fear.

"Don't let her get away!" Akihiko snapped, darting after her.

Minato stood where he was while the others ran passed him in order to catch up with Saori. He watched them off, pocketing his free hand before nonchalantly glancing to his side and down the other hallway. There also stood Saori, one hand to the wall and the other hand close to her face, eyes filled with fright. He started walking down the hall was she had run off again.

Several minutes of Akihiko chasing after Saori with the others tailing behind him passed, and Yukari slowed to a stop to catch her breath. "Hey, guys...! Wait...!" she complained, panting. She glanced off to her right where another hall branched off the main one wearily, frowning when she found Saori standing there, staring at her. "Saori-san...?" she asked, quickly following after then as she fled again.

"Wait, everyone, two people are missing," Mitsuru sighed, halting to a stop as did Junpei and Ken. Akihiko ignored her and ran blindly ahead, determined to get Saori out alive. "Akihiko!" she snapped.

"He's gone..." Junpei sighed.

"Hey, look, there she is!" Ken shouted, pointing down another hallway before hurrying off after her.

"Amada, wait!"

"He's gone, too..."

"It appears the shadows objective is to keep us separated from everyone," she muttered. "Yamagashi! Can you get a clear reading yet?"

"Just barely," Fuuka replied, frowning.

"What is Theodore's condition?"

"Uh... He surrounded himself in a wall of fire, I can't really say. Hold on..."

Back on the ground floor, Shinjiro had stepped over to assist, pushing the blade of his axe in through the fire and cutting off its flow in that one particular section. "Tch, he's asleep..." Inside the ring of fire Theodore was curled up under a blanket, resting soundly for the first time in the passed couple of days.

"Asleep?" Junpei complained. "Why wait until now to go to sleep?"

"We'll have to find a way out on our own, then," Mitsuru sighed.

"What about the others?" Junpei asked.

"I have it under control," she answered curtly, proceeding through the halls with caution then.

###

Akihiko continued running ahead, pushing the pain caused by every breath it took in to the back of his mind. It wasn't until he finally noticed the he was surrounded by mirrors and he had just been chasing his reflection that he slowed to a walk.

When he finally came to a complete stop, he was in the middle of a circular room with just mirrors for walls. The way he came into the room seemed to have vanish now as well.

"Dammit..." he growled.

"Hey, Aki!"

He spun around to find Minako standing in one of the mirrors with her arms folded behind her back and a wide smile on her face. "I'm not really in any mood to talk to you right now," he muttered, turning away from her.

"Awh, but Aki..." she frowned, appearing in the mirror in front of him again.

"Stop that," he mumbled, turning his back to her again.

"What's wrong?"

"You!"

"What did I do...?" she asked hesitantly, her image appearing in all of the mirrors now.

"You lied to me."

"About what?"

"About you and Shinji!"

"I didn't lie..."

"Huh?" he frowned, glancing up then as stood in only one mirror again.

"I never said that there wasn't anything between Shinji and me."

"So then... It's true?"

"He wasn't the only one, either," she added, nodded behind him.

He frowned, hesitantly glancing behind him. There in the mirror stood Ryoji smiling back at him. He raised a hand and flicked his wrist in a short wave. "Hello, Sanada-kun."

Akihiko glared at him in disbelief. "Ryoji? Seriously?"

"Mhm," Minako nodded fervently behind him, grinning again.

He lifted his left hand and balled it into a fist, smashing it into the mirror Ryoji stood in a fit of rage. The mirrors all cracked simultaneously, causing Minako to give out a shriek before disappearing alongside Ryoji. With all the glass on the ground now, Akihiko could clearly see out of his current room into another one with both Minato and Saori in it.

"Hey!" he shouted, hurrying through the shattered mirrors to join Minato.

Minato glanced over his shoulder as Akihiko approached wearily, and then back down to Saori as she laid on the ground. "It's too late..."

"What? Dammit...!"

Soon Ken and Yukari ran up to them as well, slowing to a stop when the noticed Saori's limp body.

"Oh, no..." Yukari gasped, holding a hand to her mouth.

"What happened?" Ken asked.

"I-I don't know..." Minato stammered, glancing up as the building began to shake in the same way the first fragment had when it was falling apart.

"We need to get out of here..." Akihiko muttered, and Minato lifted Saori up off the ground.

"There you are," Mitsuru breathed a sigh of relief as she ran into the room as well. "Iori and I found the exit, this way."

"I have a traesto gem," Minato sighed, dropping another gem after fishing it out of his pocket. Once again, they were all surrounded by a bright light, transporting everyone outside the building.

Theodore, Fuuka, Shinjiro, and Aigis were all already outside, waiting for them. Theodore stood wrapped tightly in a blanket, brooding as he glared at the fragment collapse. "It's cold..." he muttered.

"Oh, thank goodness you all made it out!" Fuuka exclaimed, frowning then when she saw Saori in Minato's arms.

"She didn't make it, huh?" Shinjiro sighed.

"You don't think their dying has anything to do with the fragments downfall, do you?" Ken asked hesitantly.

"We can figure everything out once we get somewhere not so agonizingly cold," Theodore muttered, walking passed them with a huff.

"Man, he really is sensitive to the cold, isn't he?" Junpei snickered.

###

Instead of going to a hotel, Theodore had insisted that they all return to Iwatodai to wait in the warmer climates while he conducted a search for the next Tartarus fragment.

Now on the train several hours later, all but one had fallen asleep. Akihiko was seated in the back of the cart with Shinjiro and Mitsuru, but as close to the wall and as far away from the other two without conspicuously secluding himself from everyone. Mitsuru leaned against the opposite wall, sleeping soundly while Shinjiro sat in between the two, elbows on his knees and his head hanging low.

Theodore lay curled up on the bench again, snuggled up in a blanket with his head just inches shy of resting in Fuuka's lap. Junpei sat beside Fuuka, legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles, and his head leaning back on the seat as he snored lightly.

Aigis and Ken sat on another bench, leaning up against each other. Beside them sat Minato and Yukari, with the latter's head resting on his shoulder peacefully.

Minato watched them all sleep silently, glancing down at Yukari every now and then. After a while, he lowered his gaze to his hands and turned his palms over.

He had found both girls at the fragments, both locked away in elaborate rooms. They were both guarded by creatures like the shadows, but they took an actual shape unlike the other black blobs they had been fighting off.

The first room with Rio there were two lions guarding her, but they were both joined together where their hind legs should have been. He remembered it had been an easy fight, so easy he almost felt sorry for the poor bastard. It was when the shadow disappeared by a single swing of his sword did he notice Rio sitting at a table , completely stationary with her eyes glazed over.

He dropped his sword and took a step forward cautiously before she woke up. She held a hand to her head then, confused at first, and then jumped out of her chair when she noticed him approaching.

She didn't say anything, just stared at him in shock. He wasn't sure if it was because she was terrified, or if there was some inexplicable reason she couldn't talk. There seemed to be a lot of questions he had that no one could answer.

For example, he didn't understand why he felt so compelled to reach out and touch her, hold her. Or why she would only cower against the wall as he came closer instead of running away.

He knelt down in front of her and slowly reached out his hands, cupping them around her face gently. Her hands flew instantly to his wrists, clasping them as her eyes shot wide and all the air escaped from her lungs. In seconds, she was dead.

Had he touching her really be what killed her? At first, he reasoned with himself that it wasn't the case, and he just arrived too late to help her. But then it happened again with Saori.

The shadow guarding her was different than the last; a giant worm with one eyeball. It was no more difficult than the last and he had beaten it as soon as he got to the room. Saori was sitting at the table like Rio had been, and when she woke up, she jumped out of her chair as well.

"Minako-san!" she had exclaimed, a wide smile on her face.

It didn't phase him, her ability to talk unlike Rio, and he only drew closer to her.

"Wait... You're not Minako-san..." she murmured, frowning when he took her face in one hand carefully. And, just like Rio, she was dead in seconds.

It bothered him, knowing then that he was somehow killing them. But he couldn't understand why it bothered him. They didn't mean anything to him. For as long as he could remember, he was alone, with no one but himself to care about. So why now was he starting to care for others' well being?

He wanted to ask Theodore if he knew anything about why his touch had killed those two girls, but he was afraid of how everyone would take to the fact that he had killed them. They seemed so intent on saving them, after all.

He clenched his fists tightly.

"Minato-san...? Are you alright?" Aigis asked then.

"Hm?" he asked, glancing up. "Yeah... I'm fine."

* * *

**Hey, guys. c: I wasn't going to post this until I had at least finished chapters eight or nine to get a leg up, but I fell in the parking lot over a speed bump ON FOOT and injured myself. -w-;; So, it might take me a while to even finish chapter seven and it's Christmas in a few hours, so I thought, "What the heck?"**

**Also, I was asked if there will be in Persona 4 characters in this story, and I just wanted to say that it's not likely. I haven't played the game per se, but I AM getting it tomorrow, I know. c: I saw it by mistake, but... There may be a cameo appearance by the main character from Persona 4, Souji I believe his name is?**

**As always, your reviews are much appreciated and welcome. Love you guys, and have a Merry Christmas.**

**###  
**

**In case anyone is wondering how in the hell Shinji is still alive even after taking those pills for however long, the answer is simple: he's kept alive by the power of AWESOME.**

**Also, thank my best buddy, Kyt, for editing this and making it look pretty. :'D Kyt is great and everyone should appreciate her more.  
**


	7. Violent Homecoming

**Chapter 7 = Violent Homecoming**

_"Only with strength can one endure suffering and torment."_

* * *

Upon returning to Iwatodai, everyone had returned to their normal lives for the time being. However, Theodore and Minato, who had nothing to return to , found themselves in the old dorm under the assumption that Minato would keep it clean and Theodore would locate the next fragment.

However, two days had passed and Theodore did nothing to look for the fragment. Instead, he sat huddled in a blanket in the corner of the sectioned off study while everyone gathered around him that night.

Minato stood the closest to Theodore, his hands in his pockets. "Thanks for coming," he nodded to everyone.

"No problem," Junpei shrugged. "Yukari said it was important."

"Is he really sick?" Fuuka asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"I'm fine," Theodore muttered definitely. "You may all return to your homes now..."

"Yeah, he's sick," Minato nodded.

"Maybe we should give him some medicine...?" Fuuka suggested, frowning slightly. Theodore shot a glare at Minato before quickly pulling the blanket of his head as well, knocking off his hat in the process.

"This is what you said was important?" Junpei asked incredulously, glancing towards Yukari.

"Huh? Well, yeah, I guess... Minato-kun said he needed help. And besides, if Theo is sick, he can't look for the fragment, right?" Yukari grinned sheepishly. Fuuka grinned wearily when Theodore cautiously poked his hand out from the protection of his blanket and groped the floor in search of his hat.

"I sense Yukari had ulterior motives in coming here," Aigis teased, watching as Fuuka handed Theodore his hat.

"A-Aigis!" she complained.

"Awwwh, does Yuka-tan have a crush on someone?" Junpei snickered.

"S-shut up, Stupei," she muttered.

"Hey... Since Minato-san and Minako-chan are supposed to be the same person, wouldn't having a crush on Minato-san be the same as having a crush on Minako-chan, too?" Ken asked.

"Wow, Ken... That's a little awkward..." Yukari frowned.

"Eh, I don't think it would be the same," Junpei shrugged. "I mean, the two act nothing alike, you know?"

"Exactly," she nodded quickly.

"So then do you admit to liking our new leader?" he teased.

"Hey, not so loud...!" she complained.

Ken watched as the two go back and forth while Aigis joined Fuuka and Minato in front of the hiding Theodore. Not sensing the situation of any immediate urgency, Mitsuru turned her attention to Akihiko and Shinjiro and frowned.

"Why isn't your arm still in a sling, Akihiko?"

"Huh? I don't need one," he mumbled.

"Quit being so damn stubborn," Shinjiro scolded.

"Shut the hell up, Shinji."

"Akihiko...!" Mitsuru snapped. All attention was on them, even Theodore who poked his head out of hiding.

"You lied to me, didn't you?" Akihiko accused.

"Lied about what?"

"Minako! She never left your room that night, did she?"

"... No."

"Dammit, Shinji..."

In an instant, Theodore stood up and dropped the blanket, glided through everyone and forced Akihiko back against the wall. Akihiko cringed when his shoulder blade hit the wall.

"There's no need to be angry, Sanada."

Akihiko glared back at him.

"Aragaki came first, didn't he?" Theodore asked, pushing his shoulders harder against the wall.

"And Ryoji came after," he growled.

"You are still her favorite. You're the lucky one. Why can't you see that?" he asked, pushing harder still.

"That's enough," Shinjiro warned, holding his axe under Theodore's arms and pressed under his chin while Mitsuru held her sword to his neck.

"Wait, Ryoji...?" Junpei frowned. "Senpai, didn't you already know that?"

"Yeah... I remember how it was known around the school that Minako was Ryoji-kun's favorite at the school after we had all lost our memories," Yukari added.

"Then you must have already forgiven her once before, correct?" Theodore asked, easing up on the pressure some.

"W-what?" Akihiko grimaced.

"Unless..." he frowned then, releasing him completely and stepping back. "She never had a chance to make amends... My apologies," he grinned wearily as Akihiko stumbled off the wall. "I'll leave that for her to take care of then," he nodded, falling over backwards shortly after.

"Ah, Theo-kun!" Fuuka gasped, rushing to his side.

"He passed out..." Ken murmured, staring down at him.

"It must be from over-exertion in his state," Mitsuru sighed as Shinjiro shouldered his axe. "Yamagishi, I trust take care of him for now?"

"Y-yes, of course," she nodded quickly, giving another nod of thanks towards Junpei as he pulled Theodore off the ground and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, helping him upstairs.

"I don't think it's necessary that we stay here any longer, so I'll be leaving now," Mitsuru added.

"Awh, so soon?" Yukari frowned.

"Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow for business over-seas in France. Regrettably, I will not be able to join you in the next fragment," she sighed.

"We understand," Aigis assured.

"Thank you," she nodded. "Amada, you should leave as well. You have school tomorrow still, don't you?"

"Oh yeah..." Ken grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

###

Theodore sat on the couch in the Dorm's lounge a couple of weeks later. He held the worn notebook he'd found in Minako's room before open in his hand, while holding his old bookmark just under his nose as he read the content. "How lugubrious..." he murmured, frowning slightly as he shook his head.

"Theo."

"Mm?" he asked, pulling the bookmark away as he glanced up. Minato stood beside him, staring down at him.

"Shouldn't you be working?"

"Eh..."

"Theo..."

"My apologies, Minato-kun," he grinned wearily, snapping the book shut. "I was enthralled in this book and-"

"Can I ask something?"

"Sure...?"

"Where is the Velvet Room?"

"Why do you wish to know...?"

"Just curious," he shrugged.

"It's not in one specific place, really..." he frowned slightly. "Is there something you need-"

"I was just curious, Theo. Forget about it."

"Minato-kun, I know I don't have the answers to all your questions, and for that I apologize. I wish I had them myself... But that's no reason to go back to the Velvet Room so hastily. We need you."

"Yeah, I know," he mumbled, glancing up then as the front door opened. In stepped Fuuka, Yukari, and Aigis.

"Hey!" Yukari greeted with a grin. "We were on our way to pick up Ken-kun from school, and then head over to Hagakure. Wanna come with us?"

"Hagakure?" Minato asked hesitantly.

"What?" Junpei voiced, pushing his way through the girls and inside the building. "You've never been to Hagakure?"

"Hey, Junpei...!" Yukari complained after having been shoved aside. "Why are you even here? I thought you were going to hang out with Chidori?"

"She was busy," Junpei waved her off, hurrying over to Minato then and clasped his hands onto his shoulders. "You have to come to Hagakure with us! You haven't lived until you've tasted their special," he grinned widely. "You'll come, right?"

"Sure," he said, shrugging Junpei's hands off.

"Sweet," he grinned, clapping him on the back. "To be honest, I was kinda getting tired of that chickfest..." he sighed.

"Would you like to come, too, Theo-kun?" Fuuka asked.

Theodore glanced over his shoulder at them all and smiled slightly. "Thank you for offering, but I'll have to regretfully decline. I've been shirking my duties here."

"Is that why it has been taking so long to commence the next operation?" Aigis inquired.

"Uh, yes... That has something to do with it," he grinned sheepishly. "Have fun, though, everyone. You deserve it."

"Are you sure we can't convince you to join us?" Yukari asked.

"I'm positive," he nodded. "Enjoy yourselves..."

"We'll come by later, okay, Theo-kun?" Fuuka assured before joining the others outside again.

"Would you all mind showing me around the town sometime?" Minato asked once they had started on towards the school.

"Huh? You've never been around Iwatodai?" Junpei asked, glancing back at him.

"No."

"We've been home for a couple of weeks now, haven't we?" Fuuka started. "Did you stay inside this whole time?"

"That's right," he nodded.

"What fun is that?" Yukari frowned.

"I didn't know my way around," he shrugged. "And Theo was too busy."

"That sucks, man," Junpei sympathized. "We can make up for lost time, though, right?" he grinned.

"Yeah, maybe we can stop by the mall on the way to Hagakure," Yukari nodded.

"Or we can just stop at the mall and tell Ken to meet us there."

"The mall is closer..."

"I'd rather still go meet Ken-kun, if that's alright," Fuuka grinned sheepishly.

"I'll come with you, Fuuka," Aigis said.

"Alright then, we'll meet at the mall instead," Yukari nodded.

###

"What's over there?" Minato asked as he, Junpei, and Yukari all arrived at the mall.

"Over where?" Junpei asked. Minato nodded toward the back of the mall.

"Oh, that's the back ally," Yukari answered. "No one ever goes back there."

"Why not?"

"I dunno..." she shrugged. "Hey, Minato, wait...!" she frowned then as he started walking toward the ally. She hurried after him as Junpei wandered off to the arcade.

"Oh..." Minato frowned, stopping as a door came into view in the back of the building.

"Hey, didn't I say no one goes back here?" Yukari mumbled as she caught up with him. "What's wrong?"

"That door," Minato answered, frowning still as he started toward it cautiously.

"Huh? Door?" she frowned. "... How long has that been there?"

Minato slowly slid his hand out from his pocket and pressed it against the door, feeling the old and sturdy wood. "It's the Velvet Room," he murmured, lowering his hand down towards the door knob. He smiled slightly as his thoughts trailed to Elizabeth, always able to keep him entertained, and then to Theodore. He didn't see much of Theodore during his stay in the Velvet Room, and then always felt uneasy around him.

It wasn't until Theodore broke his fever that he began to relax around everyone, and Minato felt his distrust towards him lift. He even acted concerned for him before the others showed up that afternoon. Still, he missed Elizabeth.

"Minato-kun...?" Yukari asked as he pulled his hand away from the door.

"Where should we go next?" he asked, turning around to face her.

###

Minako slid her eyes open slowly and glanced around drowsily. She was seated on the ground with her back against a dirty brick wall. Where was she...?

She put her hand to the wall behind her and pushed herself up, staggering slightly before grabbing her head. She looked down and saw she was wearing her school uniform, covered in tears and snares. Just as she remembered it. What else could she remember?

She placed her hand against the wall again and used it for support as she walked towards a light, finding the end of the wall and the street there. She glanced up. She was in an ally apparently. She gazed over shoulder then when she heard a scream of terror.

"No! Stop!" a woman cried as someone pushed her against the wall. They pulled out a switchblade and held it to her throat.

"Hey...!" Minako called out, her voice hoarse. She rushed over as quickly as her weak legs could muster and threw herself at the assailant in an attempt to tackle him, but only managed to get herself thrown off and back against the wall. The victim took the distraction as her chance to flee.

"Dammit," he muttered, watching her off momentarily before turning to face Minako. He roughly grabbed the collar of her jacket and picked her up and shoved her against the wall. "What the hell are you doing?" he growled.

"Ngh..."

The moon shone brightly that night. She remembered there was some significance behind the moon, but she couldn't recall what that was exactly. It didn't help that that guy kept hitting her back against the wall and yelling at her.

"Let her go." A calm voice caught both of their attentions, and they both turned their heads to see a figured shrouded in shadows. "Let her go," he repeated.

"Who the hell are you?" the mugger asked incredulously.

"Let her go."

"Look, kid, just get out of here and you might not get hurt."

"I said let her go."

"Fine," he muttered, dropping Minako. She fell to her knees just as he balled his hand around the switchblade and swiped it at the figure. He grabbed the mugger's fist with ease and bent his wrist backwards until he was forced down on his knees, cringing in pain. "H-hey...!" he snapped, startled from being out-powered, until the figure kicked him in the face and sent him flying back.

Minako frowned, her attention going from the now unconscious mugger to her rescuer, who seemed to be staring down at his hands in confusion. "Thanks..." she murmured.

"Huh? Oh..." he murmured, shaking his head. "N-no problem. You must be Minako..."

"What?" she frowned, standing up then. From her new vantage point, she could clearly see his face now. Whatever wasn't hidden by blue hair, in any case.

"I-I have to go..." he murmured.

She stared at him, a feeling of uneasiness washing over her. She knew him from somewhere, but couldn't place it. But the longer she stared at him, the more she felt afraid of him, despite how he had saved her just minutes ago. So in an act of instinct, she fled.

"Hey..." he frowned, watching her off. "I'm sorry..." he sighed then.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait, guys. ;_;;; I got Persona 4 for Christmas, and I've been busy playing it... I've almost beaten it, but that giant eyeball outta nowhere got me. D: That's so evil to sneak an additional boss battle on me like that when I used most of my SP already. DD: At least Persona 3 had the decency to replenish my health and SP whenever they did that. D:;;**

**In any case, my apologies again for the wait, and again for this just being a filler chapter of sorts. But, uhm... Something big should be happening in the next chapter, so that makes up for this, I hope? : D;; I hope you all enjoy this and stick around for the next chapter. Much love~!**

**(Also, I'm going to my buddy/awesome editor's place Tuesday where we were planning to make a Persona 3 parody comic with a dub to go with it I guess, I dunno, so I don't know how long it'll be for the next chapter. : D;; I'll try and work on it when I can~!;;)  
**


	8. Broken Promises

**Chapter 8 = Broken Promises**

_"Alongside time exists fate, the bearer of cruelty."_

* * *

Fuuka glided through the lounge quickly, collecting all the books that had been left strewn about. As she moved to pick up the last one, her gaze trailed over to the armchair Theodore sat in. His legs were crossed with one hand resting on his knee while the other supported his chin. He wore a tired expression.

"Theo-kun..." she sighed, frowning.

"H-hey, Junpei!" Yukari's complaints carried over from the kitchen. "That's too much water!"

"Oh, like he's gonna notice," came Junpei's rebuttal.

A week had passed since Theodore broke his fever and recovered. In that time, the original SEES members did their part to make friends with their two newest teammates when they could. They took Minato out a number of times to give him a highly detailed tour of the city, often ending the day with a trip to Hagakure or Wild Duck. And when Theodore was finally able to locate the third fragment in France, everyone took him out to the 'club of rumor' to celebrate.

But now all the fun and games were since Minato went missing.

Fuuka turned her attention towards the door at the sound of a knock. She set the stack of books on the table and hurried over to answer the door.

"Hey, I came as fast as I could," Akihiko huffed, rushing inside. "Where is he?"

"Over there," Fuuka answered, nodding towards Theodore. "Junpei and Yukari are in the kitchen now making cup ramen," she added, closing the door.

"Is that everyone, then?"

"That could make it, yes," she nodded.

"Hey, Theo," he started, heading over towards the chair as Fuuka returned to putting the books away.

"Hm?" Theodore asked, glancing up at him absently.

"How long has he been missing?" he asked, sitting down on the coffee table in front of him.

"A couple of days..."

"What? Why didn't you say anything until just now?" Akihiko snapped.

"Aren't I supposed to wait a couple of days before reporting a person missing?"

"To the police, maybe, but not to us."

"My apologies..."

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

Theodore hesitated, and then balled his hand into a fist on his knee. "No."

Akihiko stared at him skeptically before letting out a sigh. "I see..." he mumbled, standing up just as Junpei and Yukari emerged from the kitchen. Junpei hurried over with the cup ramen and chopsticks in tow, and quickly handed it over to Theodore.

"There ya go," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"Thank you..." Theodore frowned slightly, taking it hesitantly and staring down at it.

"Try not to spill it," Yukari sighed. "Stupei here was generous with the water."

"Stop calling me that..." Junpei grumbled.

"So what are we going to do, Senpai?" Yukari asked, glancing up at Akihiko.

"There's not much we can do without any idea where he could be," he sighed. "Do we have any pictures of him? We could ask around for the time being..."

"No, I don't think so," she sighed.

"Why not have Chidori draw a picture of him?" Junpei suggested with a grin.

"Has she even seen him?"

"No, wh- Oh, right..." he frowned.

"Great, no pictures then..." Akihiko sighed wearily.

"Well, how do we know he wasn't just kidnapped or something?" Junpei tried again.

"Who would kidnap him?" Yukari asked incredulously.

"I dunno..."

"Oh, Theo-kun..." Fuuka cut in. "Didn't your sisters come to the first fragment? They said something about taking Minato back, didn't they?"

"They didn't take him," Theodore answered curtly. "Margaret is uncomfortable with leaving the Velvet Room and Elizabeth doesn't want to upset him."

"Doesn't want to upset him?" Yukari asked.

"She took a liking to him."

"Oh, I see..." she muttered.

"Maybe she knows where he might have gone off to," Akihiko started.

"No," Theodore cut in quickly. "I ask that you please not bring light of Minato missing to them... He's my responsibility, I will take actions to see him safely back."

"Then why did you call us out here?" Junpei asked.

"I just thought you ought to know the situation."

"Theo, we're a team," Yukari said. "We can help you bring him back home."

"There's nothing you can do."

"How do you know that?"

"He's not telling us everything," Akihiko sighed.

"It's no different than you hiding your injuries from everyone," Theodore muttered darkly.

"Theo-kun, you don't have to do everything yourself," Fuuka murmured. "Let us help."

"I can't... Please don't ask again..."

"Well, then if that's the case, I'm goin' home," Junpei sighed. "Night everyone."

"I'm gonna go, too," Yukari said, watching Junpei out. "Let us know when you need our help," she shrugged then, heading out as well.

"You, too, Senpai?" Fuuka frowned as Akihiko stepped out of the sitting area.

"Not just yet," he mumbled, pulling on his phone. "I'm going to let Mitsuru know what's going on."

Fuuka nodded silently as she watched him off, turning her attention to Theodore again as he set the cup ramen down on the coffee table.

"I wonder if Minako had any idea she was going to die in the days leading up to it..." he murmured.

"Theo-kun?"

"Mm? Oh, I'm sorry, Fuuka," he grinned apologetically. "I believe she did."

###

The following morning, Theodore found himself prolonging the inevitable by sitting on the horizontal bar at the Shrine. He kept his balance by wrapping his hands around the bar on either side of him, and his legs were crossed at the ankles as he swung them back and forth absently.

Children laughed and played on the playground, paying him no heed. The scene was relaxing to him, and he smiled wearily to himself as he watched them run around. Had he ever been that small? The ringing bell stole his attention.

Fuuka was standing in front of the offertory box with her eyes close. After a moment she took in a breath and opened her eyes, turning to gaze at the children playing. It didn't take long for her to find Theodore. With concern plaguing her face, she made her way over to him.

"Theo-kun? What are you doing here?"

"Biding my time," he answered with a shrug. "The longer I stay in your world, the more I come to appreciate time," he grinned wearily.

"Is everything alright?" she frowned.

"Perfectly so."

"You've been acting so strange lately... Are you sure?"

"Yes; I never intended to cause you any worry, Fuuka. Would you care to join me?"

"Uh, sure," she nodded hesitantly, setting down her shoulder bag before hopping up onto the bar next to him.

"What did you bring with you?" he asked, glancing down at her bag.

"Oh, it's just my laptop," she shrugged. "Where is your book? The one you always carry around with you?"

"It's over there on the bench," he answered, nodding over towards it.

She glanced over her shoulder at it, and then back up at him. "Would you mind if I looked through it?"

"Be my guest."

"Thanks," she grinned slightly, slipping off the bar and stepping over to the bench. She gently picked up the book and opened it, frowning again as she flipped through the pages. "Theo-kun... There's nothing in here."

He frowned somewhat before looking over his shoulder. "I see... Nothing that you can see, in any case."

"Huh? Can you see what's written here...?"

"Yes."

"... Could Minako?"

"... Yes. But she was a Wild Card," he grinned wearily.

"Wild Card?"

"It's nothing you should trouble yourself over."

"Why not?"

"It's how Minako ended up the way she did. It would be tragic should the same happen to you."

"Theo-kun..."

"I should be going," he sighed then, sliding off the bar. "I would like to give you something before we part," he started, fishing his hand into his pocket.

"Where are you going?" she frowned.

"I'm bringing Minato home. It's where he belongs, isn't it?" he smiled, finally pulling out his phone.

"You have a cell phone...?"

"Hm? Yes, of course. It was only used to further aid Minako, however," he shrugged, delicately removing the Takoyaki phone strap before handing it to her. "Please take this? As a keepsake..."

"Theo-kun..." she murmured, hesitantly taking the phone strap. "You belong at home, too. With us."

He paused, and then shook his head, smiling again. "No, I don't. I've acted selfishly with everyone... Now is the time I pay back everyone's kindness."

"Here..." she mumbled, handing the book back to him reluctantly.

"Keep it," he grinned wearily, pushing it back. "It may prove useful upon Minako's homecoming," he said, turning to leave then.

"Wait...!" she cried, dropping the book and strap as she gripped his sleeve, pulling him back. "Promise me you'll come back," she ordered, hugging him tightly now.

"What? Fuuka..."

"Promise me...!"

"... I promise," he sighed.

"Thank you..." she mumbled, reluctantly releasing him.

He grinned wearily down at her, patting her on her head. "You're very intriguing, Fuuka," he stated before turning to leave again.

"Be careful..." she sighed, watching him off.

###

"Minato... Not everything is as it seems..." Elizabeth tried to reason.

Minato sat in a chair in her room with his arms crossed. "Clearly," he muttered.

"No, it's-"

"I want to be alone."

"... Very well," she nodded quietly, slipping out of the room. Margaret stood outside with her back to the wall, and grinned slightly as Elizabeth walked out. "You lied to him," Elizabeth accused.

"Not entirely," Margaret shrugged innocently. "He came here wanting to know what he is, and I told him."

"Then why does he think Theo has been using him all this time?" she snapped.

"Because he has been. Theo's only interested in getting his guest back; I doubt he puts much stock in the welfare of her friends."

"You don't know that..."

"And neither do they. So what if the boy's a little mad at Theo? Arisato will just rough him up a little when he comes running to the rescue. We can use that has a chance to get Theo thinking right again, and he won't have to oppose us anymore. It's for the best, Elizabeth."

"Fine..." she muttered, glancing back at the room wearily before sulking off.

###

Theodore ran through the door to the Velvet Room, slowing to stop then when he noticed it empty. He only paused for a moment before continuing on, bursting through another door. "Minato!" he called out as he sprinted down the hall.

He eventually ended up in the larger room the siblings often called the 'arena' in his search, and found Margaret sitting in a chair.

"Oh, hello, Theo," she smiled slightly at him. "We've been expecting you."

"Is he alright? Where is he?"

"He's better than ever," she grinned before nodding off behind her. "He's over there."

Theodore stared incredulously at her for a moment before hurrying over to Minato. He stood on the other side of the room, facing the wall while holding his sword in balled-up fists. He didn't acknowledge him as he approached.

"Minato...?" he frowned. "Why are you here?" When he received no answer, he continued on. "Were they able to give you the answers you wanted...? I'm sorry you had to come here for them..."

"No, you're not," Minato muttered, glaring at him from over his shoulder now. "You knew all along..."

"Knew what...?"

"They told me everything. How I'm not even human..." he muttered. "I'm just everyone's malicious thoughts that seeped through the Great Seal..."

"You're the embodiment of people's dark thoughts...?"

"Is that why those two girls died?"

"Which two girls?"

"The ones from the fragments!" he snapped, spinning around and slashing his sword at Theodore. He quickly raised his arms in defense. The blade sliced through his arms, and he jumped back. The pain was more agonizing than he could have imagined. "They're dead because of me!" Minato carried on. "I-I just touched them and they died... But you don't even care, do you?"

"Minato, please think about what you're doing..."

"You don't care about anything as long as that stupid girl comes back," he seethed, striking his sword against the floor and dragged up the tiles with it, slinging them at Theodore. He blocked the attack with his arms again, only adding to the pain from deep cuts.

"That's not true," he grimaced. "I came here to bring you back home. Everyone is worried about you..."

"Shut up!" Minato barked, snatching his Evoker. He pressed it to his temple and pulled the trigger, summoning Orpheus Telos.

"Minato..." he frowned, staring wearily up at the persona.

###

"I could kill that idiot..." Akihiko muttered.

"Shut up and keep asking around."

Immediately after seeing him off, Fuuka reported Theodore as missing and requested help in locating him. Hours later, both Akihiko and Shinjiro scoured the city with a picture, asking everybody if they had seen anything.

"We've asked everyone already. No one's seen him."

"Gimme that," Shinjiro muttered, snatching the picture away. He took it over to a girl standing next to a lamp post and knelt down in front of her, showing her the picture. "Have you seen this guy?"

"Y-yeah..." she stammered. "He was at the playground at the Shrine..."

"Thanks," he nodded, standing up again before shoving the picture back in Akihiko's hands. "Kids see everything, start asking them."

"We've already been to the shrine, though..." Akihiko mumbled.

Over in the ally a ways away from the lamp post, Minako peered out from behind the building cautiously. She frowned at the sight of Akihiko and Shinjiro, and moved to hide behind the wall again until the picture caught her eye. "Theo...?" she whispered, pushing away from the wall and took off running.

"Was that Minako...?" Akihiko frowned.

"Where? Wait, Aki...!"

Akihiko took off running after her with Shinjiro not far behind. They chased her to the mall where she shoved her way through the crowd toward the back ally. "Minako!" Akihiko shouted.

She didn't falter, and burst through the door at the end of the ally. She left the door opened behind her, and both Akihiko and Shinjiro fell into the Velvet Room.

"Has that door always been there...?" Akihiko mumbled, staggering a bit as he picked himself off the floor.

"She's getting away," Shinjiro growled, taking off after her first this time.

Minako continued down the hall, checking each door she came across until she finally came to the Arena. She saw Margaret first, sitting on her chair with a mildly concerned look on her face. Theodore was standing in the middle of the room, battered and bloodied, with his arms raised in front of him in defense.

She recognized the boy running at him with Orpheus Telos at his side as the one a week prior. "Theo!" she cried out, moving to begin running towards him again until wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her back.

Theodore's eyes widened at the sound of her voice, and he lowered his guard as he gazed over his shoulder at her. "Minako..."

"No, Theo!" Margaret gasped then, shooting up out of her chair with her hands over her mouth.

Theodore grimaced and slowly brought his gaze down to see Minato's sword stabbed through his chest. Minato stared back at him, his eyes wide in shock as he hesitantly slid the blade back out. "T-Theo..." he stammered, dropping the sword and taking step back. Theodore grinned wearily back at him before his eyes slipped shut and he collapsed.

Elizabeth jumped down from the rafters overhead and was quickly at Theodore's side. "Theo..." she murmured, cradling his head in her lap. She glanced over her shoulder then as Minato ran off. "Minato, wait...!"

Akihiko glanced down at Minako when she had finally stopped struggling against him and released her. He hurried over to Elizabeth and Theodore and knelt down, taking Theodore's arm. "He belongs with us now..." he said quietly.

She stared up at him wearily and nodded, gently handing him over. "Thank you for taking care of him," she whispered before running off after Minato.

Akihiko wrapped Theodore's arm around his shoulder and dragged him back, frowning when he found Minako unconscious and in Shinjiro's arms. "What happened?" he demanded.

"She passed out."

"Oh..."

"You're just going to take him with you?" Margaret asked, her voice shaking.

"That's right," Akihiko nodded, continuing to drag Theodore out of the room as he pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open and dialed a number before holding it to his ear. "Fuuka, we found him."

* * *

**Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude, this was a pain in the ass to write. o-o Kyt kept distracting me with the superhero Treesong and his radio show and his "I'M QUEER AND LIKE WOMENZ" shtick. It was hilarious. : D**

**We've commenced working on our comic, but it's only a cluster of ideas at the moment, and Minako and Theodore will make scarce appearances. c:;;**

**Anyway~ Here's the chapter, I hope you enjoy. My apologies if it gets too sappy or anything. : D;;**

**Fun fact: Saturn couldn't stand Theodore at first. (Of course, now Saturn loves Theodore more than anything ever forever. : D Yay, Theodore!)  
**


	9. Mourning

**Chapter 9 = Mourning**

_"__In the face of disaster lies opportunity for renewal.__"_

* * *

The following day, everyone sat around in the lounge in silence as they waited for Shinjiro to return. Fuuka sat at the end of the couch, cradling her face in her hands while Junpei patted a comforting hand on her shoulder. Yukari sat beside Junpei, her hands under her knees she leaned forward to watch Fuuka with concern. Aigis and Ken sat on the couch opposite them, and Akihiko sat on the armchair.

"Fuuka..." Yukari started.

"I-I'm alright," Fuuka murmured, her voice muffled.

"I never woulda thought he had it in him," Junpei sighed. "He always seemed like such a kid at heart."

"You're one to talk," Yukari muttered.

"He knew what was coming..." Akihiko murmured. "But he wouldn't let us help him. Things could have turned out differently if he had..."

"Theo-kun didn't want us to get hurt. He was always looking out for us," Fuuka sighed.

Aigis stood up abruptly then, and Akihiko turned to look over his shoulder as Shinjiro stepped down from the stairs. "How is she?" he asked.

"Asleep again. She was out on the streets for a while apparently."

"Will she be alright?" Aigis pressed.

"Yeah, she's just tired," he shrugged. "Any news on Theo?"

"He didn't make it," Yukari sighed.

"I see..."

"What are we going to do about the remaining fragments?" Ken asked.

"Destroy them," Akihiko shrugged. "Regardless of Minako's return, the Dark Hour still exists. We need to finish what we started."

"But we only know the next one is in France," he protested.

"We'll just have to try and find them ourselves."

Fuuka glanced up wearily when there was a knock at the door, and pulled herself out of her seat to answer it. Behind the door stood Elizabeth, holding a Jack Frost doll in her arms. "Hello," she greeted with a weary smile. "May I enter?"

"Uh, okay..." she nodded hesitantly, stepping aside as Elizabeth glided inside. She glanced around momentarily before setting the doll on the half-wall separating the lounge and study.

"I wanted to leave this with you all," she stated, adjusting it slightly. "It was his favorite."

"Theo's?" Yukari asked.

"Indeed," she nodded, turning around to face them. "You were his friends; I think it's fitting that it be left with you."

"Thank you..." Fuuka murmured.

Elizabeth glanced over at her and smiled slightly. "No, thank you. However, I have an ulterior motive to bringing this here to you," she sighed. "The circumstances of Theo's death were strictly accidental."

"Like hell," Akihiko muttered. "You two pitted him against Minato without anyway to defend himself."

"I opposed the idea to begin with, and Margaret didn't think it possible for him to die. Minato didn't mean to kill him, either, he was just...angry and confused," she sighed.

"What was he angry about?" Yukari asked.

"The realization of who he is was too much for him... Margaret led him to believe that Theo had betrayed him. She only wanted Theo to come back to the Velvet Room and end the feud between them."

"Realization of who he is...?"

"He's not completely human. He's the two year old embodiment of all the world's bad thoughts the Great Seal had failed to keep. And now that the Great Seal has been broken, Minato has reached his full strength. So with Theo weakened from remaining outside the Velvet Room for so long, it's understandable Minato was able to kill him so easily..."

"Wait, he's only two years old?" Junpei asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth grinned wearily. "That was when the Great Seal first began to lose its power."

"Why did she lose power?" Akihiko inquired.

"I don't know," she sighed. "Aside from that, I wanted to ask a favor of you all. Minato fled the Velvet Room shortly after his fight with Theo. I would like for you all to please find him and take care of him. I'm sure Theo would have wanted the same..."

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Fuuka asked.

"No, unfortunately I don't."

"If we find him, can you return the favor?" Akihiko offered.

"In what way?"

"Theo was the only one who could find the Tartarus fragments, and there are two more we need to take care of. Would you be able to help us locate them?"

"If you are able to find him, yes, I will locate the fragments for you. The girl is in your custody now, correct?"

"Yeah."

"May I see her before I depart?"

"She's upstairs," Shinjiro answered.

"Thank you," she nodded, and excused herself with a slight bow and headed upstairs. She checked all the rooms until she finally came to Minako's room, and found her curled up on the bed with Shinjiro's jacket covering her. Elizabeth smiled to herself as she close the door behind her and crossed the room to the bed.

"The esteemed Minako... It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she murmured, pulling up a chair to the side of the bed. "Theo always spoke highly of you," she sighed, pulling out an envelope from her pocket then. "I found this on his person upon his death; I assume it's for you," she said, slipping the envelope into Minako's hand. "Thank you for entertaining his curiosity..."

Elizabeth rose and returned the chair under the desk as there was a small knock on the door, followed by Fuuka opening the door and poking her head in the room. "Uh... I was wondering if you could help me with something?"

"What is it?"

"Theo-kun left us with this book... But the pages are blank," she murmured, holding out the book to her then.

"Ah, I was wondering where this was," she grinned wearily, taking the book and opening it. "It's not blank, your eyes just aren't adjusted to seeing all of the content," she explained, flipping through the pages until she settled on one and showed it to her.

"Juno...?" she gasped.

"Theo kept tabs on you all the few weeks prior to introducing himself. I believe he mentioned you having astounding support abilities."

"Did he...?" she frowned, taking the book back and ran her fingers over the picture of her persona. Was the writing in Theodore's hand?

"Yes," she nodded. "... I'm grateful he was able to see Minako one last time, but... If you don't rid the world of the Dark Hour once and for all, it would still feel like he died in vain. Please take care," she added, stepping around her then and headed back downstairs.

Fuuka nodded hesitantly, watching her off before turning back to gaze at Minako and taking notice of the envelope. Was that the reason for Elizabeth wanting to see Minako? To deliver a postmortem letter from Theodore? Fuuka couldn't deny the twinge of jealousy she felt, and paid no heed to her actions until she found herself standing beside Minako's bed seconds later.

She closed and set the book down on the desk gently, and then reached out for the envelope. She froze halfway there and recollected her thoughts. Was she really going to open and read something that wasn't meant for her? Something that was meant for Minako, no less?

Yes.

She slipped the envelope out of Minako's hand carefully and opened it. There were two separate sheets folded inside. She pulled both out and set the envelope down before unfolding one sheet.

* * *

_Friends,_

_I write this with a heavy hand; I pray you can all forgive me for leaving in such a manner. It was necessary to ensure you all remained safe and unharmed._

_You have given me numerous memories I shall cherish beyond my days, and for that I cannot thank you enough. The world outside the Velvet Room is a beautiful thing, far more so than I could have ever imagined. If it weren't for you, this world would never have been granted its second chance. Regrettably, it is under the same peril once more, and I apologize I cannot see through it to the end with you. I beg that you do everything in your power to protect it again._

_Please look after Arisato._

_Theo._

_

* * *

_

"Theo-kun..." Fuuka whispered, her hands trembling as she set down the letter to unfold the other.

* * *

_Master Minako,_

_You truly are blessed to have such affable friends. I feared you may not be so inclined to share them upon your homecoming, but I suppose that will no longer be an issue._

_I enjoyed our time together, however little it may have been. I will always look back on your memory fondly, and I hope you can do the same for me. I apologize-_

_

* * *

_Fuuka quickly folded the paper again and shoved it back into the envelope along with the other letter upon having heard the click of footsteps outside in the hall. She quickly slipped the envelope back in Minako's hand, and moved to leave the room until a small folded sheet of paper on the floor caught her eye. She hesitantly knelt down to pick it up and unfolded it.

_I'm sorry, Fuuka. Stay strong._

Those five words forced her onto her knees. While she may have not received the full-fledged letter that Minako had, the five words acknowledging he specifically were more than enough. With the tiny sheet of paper still caught in her hands, she clutched her arms as if to contain the swelling catharsis within her. She began to tremble, blinking back tears. Only two managed to escape.

"Fuuka!"

In an instant Akihiko was on his knees by her side, a hand on her shoulder.

"H-he's really gone, isn't he?" she stammered.

"Yeah... There was nothing we could do to stop it, but we can still make it up to him."

"No..."

"Huh?"

Fuuka glanced up at him and smiled slightly. "There's nothing to make up; he did it for us. He was protecting us..."

"Oh..."

"Uh, Senpai... Why is it you're up here?"

"Oh, I was hoping you could help me with something. I haven't been able to get a hold of Mitsuru for the passed few days... I know she frequents France, and that you work for the Kirijo group now... Do you have any idea how to get through to her?"

"Yeah, I have a number you can try calling," she nodded, wiping the excess tears from her eyes with her arm before standing up.

"Are you alright...?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay now," she nodded, slipping the note Theodore left her inside the book. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How are you handling Minako's return?"

"I... Don't know," he sighed, frowning as he gazed down at Minako still resting on the bed. "I guess it hasn't had time to fully register yet. There will be time to settle things once everything's over, though."

"I see... Good luck."

###

Minato sat in the Horror House game in the arcade within the mall, his short sword stuck inside the coin slot to keep the game on a continuous loop, assuming that would keep people from entering. He was in hiding, but the arcade was one of the only few places he knew to go to.

He glanced down at the sword wearily, the blade still stained with blood. It wasn't shortly after fleeing the arena that Elizabeth had caught up with him, handing him the sword back.

"Go back to your friends. They will understand. They need you."

How could they when he couldn't even understand himself? He had killed another person, a person he thought to be his friend. And it wasn't something beyond his control this time. He was blind with rage, and as a result he not only killed someone he was close to, but someone everyone in the group was close to. How could he expect to be welcomed back with open arms?

"He wants you to be happy."

"I thought I might find you here..."

He glanced up, startled, and found Yukari poking her head through the curtain with a weary grin. "Mind if I join you?"

"Uh..."

"Thanks." She stepped in the booth and pulled the curtain again, sitting next to him. "I never really liked this thing, you know."

"..."

"How'd you get in here with a sword...?" she asked then, glancing up at up the sword.

"... What do you want?"

"We've all been out looking for you, Minato-kun."

"What...?"

"We want you to come back home."

"Why?"

"Because, Minato-kun," she grinned wearily, "you're one of us."

"But I killed him..."

"Did you mean to?"

"Does that matter?"

"Elizabeth stopped by the dorm earlier today. She said you were just angry and confused, that it was just an accident... No one blames you, Minato."

"But..."

"Hey, there's still blood on here..." she murmured, studying the blade then. "Let's say we clean this off and start over. Come home, Minato."

* * *

**Another filler chapter. I was originally going to move on to the third fragment with this chapter, but apparently it wasn't clear enough that THEODORE IS DEAD. Poor Theodore. D: I asked a friend of mine if it was obvious that he died, and she said, "No, you're dumb." D:**

**I'm running out of Nyx quotes, oh-nooooooo. D:**

**As always, I hope you enjoy. And I hope this wasn't too sappy... Kyt says it wasn't, but... : D;;**

**Oh, oh! We've also decided something about the Velvet Room Peoples. Kyt is convinced that Theodore is the one driving the limo in Persona 4 while Elizabeth is off looking for a way to save Minato/ko, and I've decided that Igor found the siblings in the same manner you would find a bunch of homeless kittens; in a cardboard box in the pouring rain. :'D**

**PS: Georgia is likely to have a power outage tonight due to the AWESOME POWER OF SNOW. So an update will be delayed. Blarg.  
**


End file.
